Saudi Arabia maintains top cybersecurity global ranking in 2025
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia maintained its top global ranking in the Cybersecurity Index, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook's cybersecurity indicator for 2025.
The Yearbook is an annual report published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), based in Switzerland, on the competitiveness of nations. The yearbook benchmarks the performance of 63 countries based on 340 criteria measuring different facets of competitiveness.
This top ranking is a direct reflection of the unwavering support and guidance provided to the Kingdom's cybersecurity sector by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Their vision propelled Saudi Arabia to achieve leading positions year after year across various international indicators. This includes the Kingdom's classification as Tier 1 – 'Role-modeling' in the Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, published by the UN specialized agency, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
This success is part of a broader series of achievements since the adoption of the leadership's insightful and proactive approach to establish a comprehensive cybersecurity sector. This holistic approach integrates both security and development dimensions, encompassing local and international levels.
Dr. Musaed Al-Aiban, chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Cybersecurity Authority, affirmed that this achievement "adds to the series of achievements and successes scored by Saudi Arabia in all fields since the launch of the leadership's insightful, proactive vision to establish the cybersecurity sector, in a comprehensive manner, encompassing both security and development aspects, with all its local and international dimensions."
He said that the cybersecurity system has witnessed significant development in record time since the establishment of the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) as the Saudi entity responsible for cybersecurity and the national authority for cybersecurity affairs and the establishment of the Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE) as its strategic and technical partner. "These are two fundamental pillars of the Saudi model for cybersecurity, the outcomes of which have contributed to strengthening national cybersecurity and technological sovereignty, localizing priority technologies, and enhancing information sharing and international cooperation," he said.
It is noteworthy that the NCA is the competent authority for cybersecurity in the Kingdom and the national authority for cybersecurity affairs. It aims to strengthen cybersecurity to protect the country's vital interests, infrastructure, and national security.
It is responsible for stimulating the growth of the cybersecurity sector in the Kingdom, encouraging innovation and investment in it, and developing policies, governance mechanisms, frameworks, standards, controls, and guidelines related to cybersecurity. This is to achieve a secure and reliable Saudi cyberspace that enables growth and prosperity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leaders
7 hours ago
- Leaders
Iranian Cooperation with IAEA to ‘Take on New Form': FM Araqchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that Tehran intends to collaborate with the UN nuclear watchdog despite its parliament's restrictions, according to Reuters. Araqchi also noted that that access to Iranian Nuclear sites bombed by Israel and the US posed security and safety issues. 'The risk of spreading radioactive materials and the risk of exploding leftover munitions … are serious,' Araghchi said. According to the new law, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should have approval by the Supreme National Security Council for any future inspection of Iran's nuclear sites. 'For us, IAEA inspectors approaching nuclear sites has both a security aspect … and the safety of the inspectors themselves is a matter that must be examined,' Araqchi said. He also told Tehran-based diplomats that Iran's cooperation with the nuclear watchdog has not stopped. However, it will take a new form and will be guided and managed through the Supreme National Security Council. Last week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the United Nations' nuclear watchdog should abandon its 'double standards' if Tehran wants to resume cooperation with it. Iranian IAEA Relations Iranian relations with IAEA have deteriorated since the United States and Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June in order to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. 'The continuation of Iran's cooperation with the agency (IAEA) depends on the latter correcting its double standards regarding the nuclear file,' state media quoted Pezeshkian as telling European Council President Antonio Costa by phone. Pezeshkian also stated that Iran will face any repeated attack with a more decisive and regrettable response. Moreover, Iran accused the agency of failing to denounce the attacks by the United States and Israel and paving the way for the bombing by issuing a resolution declaring that Iran is breaching its non-proliferation obligations. 'Failure to observe the principle of impartiality in reporting is one of the examples that casts doubt on the status and credibility of the IAEA,' Pezeshkian said. Israel Iran Conflict On June 13, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran under the name of Operation Rising Lion. The military campaign targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists. As a response, Iran launched a retaliatory wave of missiles against Israel and targeted Tel Aviv. Israel also killed several Iranian nuclear scientists in line with its goal to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. Related Topics: Israel Warns: Iran Could Retrieve Enriched Uranium After US Strikes Saudi Foreign Minister Hosts Iranian Counterpart in Makkah Pressuring Iran is the Key to Stop Houthi Attacks: Col. Dahouk Short link : Post Views: 8
Leaders
7 hours ago
- Leaders
SDAIA Receives Certificates for Nominated Projects at WSIS Summit
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has received certificates for its nominated projects recognized among the best entries at the 2025 WSIS Prizes, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Organized by the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes witnessed the participation of over 194 countries, mirroring the significance of global competition. SDAIA's nominated projects stand out as technological initiatives that crystalized both innovation and creativity. After the ITU's expert evaluation, the Saudi projects were selected out of 973 submissions from various countries. Crucially, SDAIA noted that the nominated projects have covered various fields as follows: The government cloud-computing platform 'Deem,' which offers integrated and flexible cloud services for government entities. 'Nafath' app for biometric identity verification 'My Resume' service within the 'Tawakkalna' app that enables users to display their certified academic qualifications 'Tahseen' an AI-powered project that can restore and boost historical media 'Allam' and 'SauTech' projects which support and process Arabic through large language models and speech recognition technologies Prestigious Recognition Apart from this, the WSIS recognized the IAIO as an unparalleled project in Category 7 (E-Science). This recognition reflects the ongoing efforts of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) to boost innovation and elevate national and international capacities of the artificial intelligence. In collaboration with the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), AI Olympiad featured participants from more than 25 countries around the world. By hosting such a prestigious exhibition, SDAIA offers an international platform for AI competitions and an umbrella that brings together brilliant minds and spreads the concept of the Smart Olympiad among current generations. Related Topics: Saudi Arabia Showcases Digital Leadership at WSIS 2025 'Madrasati' Platform Wins Top Honor at WSIS Forum 2025 Saudi Arabia Wins Awards at WSIS +20 Forum Short link : Post Views: 13 Related Stories
Saudi Gazette
9 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi graduates see record job market entry in 2024
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The percentage of Saudi higher education graduates entering the workforce within six months of graduation surged to 44.43% in 2024, up from just 13.3% in 2016, according to the newly released annual report of the Human Capability Development Program (HCDP). Youth employment for Saudis aged 15–24 also climbed to 36.2%, compared to 18% in 2020. Launched by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in 2021, the HCDP is a key Vision 2030 program aimed at equipping citizens with the skills and capabilities needed across all life stages. The program focuses on aligning education outcomes with labor market demands, while investing in national talent to enhance Saudi Arabia's global competitiveness. In technical and vocational education, the employment rate within six months of graduation rose to 47.81%. The program launched six new strategic academies and activated four local technical colleges, focusing on fields such as tourism and international academies trained more than 150,000 individuals, while overall enrollment in vocational education increased to 30.54%, surpassing the program's 2024 support quality training, more than 130 technical colleges were upgraded with training equipment, and digital platforms were enhanced to expand access across the the entrepreneurship front, HCDP empowered 40 startups through advanced programs in collaboration with Stanford and UC Berkeley. These startups received executive leadership coaching, participated in 220 sessions with global experts, and gained access to Silicon Valley's innovation a result, the supported startups attracted SR42 million ($11.2 million) in venture capital and created 120 new founders were admitted to top-tier international business incubators, reinforcing Saudi Arabia's progress in global innovation program also helped drive momentum in Silicon Valley with 29 entrepreneurial and investment events and four investor days that connected Saudi startups with international financiers. Additionally, 120 university-based startups were supported, over 11,000 students trained in entrepreneurship, and 60 new companies launched via regional accelerators. Three new university-based incubators were also established.
