RIYADH: The Ministry of Interior, represented by the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), will host the third International Cyber Security Conference (ICSC) in Riyadh early next year aiming to combat increasing cyber threats.
To be organized in March by the NCSC in partnership with Naseba, the conference aims to successfully combat the increased cyber threats targeting the Kingdom, particularly in recent times, through developing relevant standards, policies and the legal framework, sharing and disseminating critical information and alerts, and most importantly creating further education and fostering awareness among cybersecurity stakeholders, said the media department of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

Besides knowledge sharing and fostering relationships, one of the main objectives of the upcoming conference is to introduce stakeholders and attendees to providers of cybersecurity solutions and services, it added.

According to the ministry, up to 1,000 delegates, comprising VIPs, CEOs, CIOs, CISOs, IT and security managers, and young security aspirants, including students, will participate in the annual conference.

The conference, considered one of the largest of its kind in the region that addresses cybersecurity in different ways, will help facilitate national, regional and international collaboration between government, industry and critical cyber infrastructure organizations.

The ICSC will also feature investors who want to diversify their portfolios into international companies, particularly in the cybersecurity sectors where innovation could benefit the regional cyber-defense capacity.

With the Kingdom rapidly developing and diversifying its economy as part of Vision 2030, an important element of this new forward-looking economic plan is information and communications technology (ICT), but the widespread use of ICT heightens the risk of cybersecurity threats from hackers, hacktivists, insiders, organized criminals and even foreign governments.

In order to successfully combat these threats, the Kingdom needs to develop relevant standards, policies and the legal framework, share and disseminate critical information and alerts, and most importantly, create further education and awareness among cybersecurity stakeholders.

The NCSC, as part of the Ministry of Interior, is at the forefront of the cybersecurity defense initiative in the Kingdom and develops and manages the national strategic direction for cybersecurity in collaboration with government agencies, including the concerned ministries.