According to the National Electronic Security Center, 39 percent of hacking attempts from abroad targeted websites of various government agencies, Al-Hayat newspaper reported. National Electronic Security Center's Strategy and Communication Director Abbad Al-Abbad said the Kingdom is being attacked by organized groups and not by random hackers. "Data for the past one year showed the most targeted websites by hackers abroad belonged to the public sector. They have hacked different websites of the Kingdom through email proxies. The Kingdom has detected these breaches and alerted the affected sectors and their directorates through its National Electronic Security Center," said Al-Abbad. He also said the center detects these attacks, determines the level of danger and warns the attacked directorate. "The attacked directorate must then take all possible precautionary measures. The center holds workshops to educate the directorates about these attacks and to discuss preventive procedures available," said Al-Abbad. He said the center urged all directorates to prioritize safety of information. According to Al-Abbad, he second most targeted sector by foreign hackers is the media, which is about 23 percent, followed by the telecommunication and information technology sector at 15 percent. The water and electricity sector came next with 8 percent. Al-Abbad said the hackers take several cautious steps to avoid detection. "An hacker first gathers information on the targeted website and its directorate and then works on decoding passwords. The weakest passwords are the easiest to decode. He or she then uploads fishing files to the targeted website. The hacker is thus able to gather important information on all users and use this information for his or her own benefit," said Al-Abbad. He also said hackers can use information from one hacked website to hack another website. "Hackers also use VPN or TOR to hide their identities. It is important to raise awareness of the need for information and electronic security. The Kingdom is targeted by many hostile organizations and countries," said Al-Abbad. He said hackers target websites for various reasons. They steal from bank accounts or use information for blackmail. "Employees of both private and public sectors should not open any suspicious emails they receive through their workplace email proxies. These emails can be a hacker's tactic to implant a virus. Both the private and public sectors are attacked but the public sector has been severely targeted over the past three years," said Al-Abbad. He also said a global information technology security company expressed deep concerns of the state of the Kingdom's cyber security. "The company reported the Kingdom has been attacked heavily this past year. The more a website is used the more likely it is exposed to hackers. This year, the Kingdom was attacked by an average of 95,000 viruses a month. The Kingdom must take drastic measures in order to protect its security," said Al-Abbad. Internet security and e-learning expert Yasser Al-Usaifir said the Kingdom is being targeted on a daily basis by foreign organizations and websites. "The most hacked websites are public service websites. The hackers have a malicious intention to obtain information and use it to harm the country. The Kingdom is in an electronic war but many of our directorates are not even aware of that," said Al-Usaifir. He said the National Electronic Security Center is playing a vital role in protecting the databases of the different government service providers. "All directorates and service providers must cooperate with the center in order to protect themselves from hackers," said Al-Usaifir.
