The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Cyber Capabilities

Cybersecurity is a major challenge facing nations in the modern era. Building cyber capabilities has become a strategic necessity to protect national security and ensure effective engagement in cyberspace. Many countries, including Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, have recognized the importance of this field and have worked to develop policies and strategies to enhance their cybersecurity.Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the leading countries in this domain, making the development of its cyber capabilities a strategic priority, especially after the major cyberattack that targeted Saudi Aramco in 2012, causing significant material damage. This incident prompted the kingdom to strengthen its digital infrastructure and invest in modern technologies, enabling it to achieve first place globally in the Cybersecurity Index for 2024.Saudi Arabia's experience in developing its cyber capabilities serves as a significant model worthy of study, particularly for Iraq, which needs to benefit from this experience to build a strong cyber infrastructure that can protect it from increasing threats and enhance its active role in the global cyberspace.