RIYADH — Investigations are under way into the electronic attack against the online system of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ministry would prosecute those involved, an official said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to sue whoever dared to make or help make this violation, be them companies or governments,” asserted Osama Bin Ahmed Nugali, chief of information department. He urged citizens not to distribute documents that might be fake. “Don't allow enemies of the State to achieve their intentions in regards to exchanging or publishing any documents, many of which had been fabricated in a very obvious manner,” Nugali said, reiterating his warning to everybody. He said his department applies the world's state-of-the-art technology, making it impossible for hackers to get access to highly-protected documents of the ministry. In 2007, Cyber Crimes Law came into force in the Kingdom. A website called the “Internet Police” was set up to receive reports and complaints about cyber crimes. The Cyber Crimes Combat Regulation has stiffened penalties against all kinds of electronic wrongdoing. The new law provides stiff fines and jail time for electronic blackmailing and stealing from bank accounts or financial bond funds, as well as terrorist activity including hosting or designing web sites for terrorist organizations. Those involved in these activities will face up to 10 years in prison, and/or a fine of up to SR5 million. The regulation warned that “encroaching upon the public order, religious values, public conduct or the inviolability of private life through the Internet or the computer” would be punished by a prison term of up to five years and/or a fine as high as SR3 million. Tampering with networks that provide users with Internet services, or “spoiling” them, could mean four years in prison and/or a fine of up to SR3 million. Cyber crime is on the rise across the Middle East and in Saudi Arabia, and protecting against cyber threats is an ongoing management challenge for organizations in the country. A recent annual survey by Gulf Business Machines (GBM) has found that approximately 45 percent of IT professionals in the GCC admit that their organizations had at least one IT security incident that they were aware of in the last 12 months.
