During the duration of the Cyber Security Initiative (CSI) project, we’ve been building towards providing leadership in cyber security research and education and is on the way to become a focal point to stimulate cyber security communications and collaboration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The project has focused on:

(i) understanding and analyzing the current security and privacy threats through two case studies (i.e., Social Information Leakage and the rise of social bots);

(ii) detecting malicious activities and enabling security operators to measure abnormalities by building a holistic framework for IT infrastructure data simulation and visualization; and

(iii) preventing privacy leakage issues by designing a trustworthy framework for personal data management.

A critical area of focus for the Cyber Security Initiative was the development and prototyping in an operational environment of technologies to protect Saudi Arabia’s cyber infrastructure, including the Internet and other critical infrastructures that depend on computer systems for their mission. We designed a secure, trustworthy framework for users to share their personal data so that it is not used or abused by entities with vested interest. This project has interacted with other cyber security efforts within Saudi Arabia in the following sectors: Defense, Government, Petroleum, Utilities, telecommunication, and Transportation.

This project leveraged existing security initiatives and fulfilled the gap in the two major thrust areas as discussed above, thus contributing towards the enhancing the IT security infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. The project assisted in both the development of operational detection methods and the development of effective defensive techniques.

The project resulted in expanding the expertise among the researchers and helped in developing the next generation of highly qualified Saudi personnel in the focused areas. The expertise will also be transferred to Saudi companies as a result of the KACST-MIT network’s collaborative research focus and the flow of trained engineers into industry, leveraging both longstanding ties between organizations and individuals, and the formed relationships. Moreover, as a major benefit, industry partners will obtain new, cutting edge applications and expertise needed to secure vital information systems. Companies providing cybersecurity services will obtain capabilities from the collaborative research that will enhance their products and business prospects.

Overall, the building of our capabilities in this vital area will enhance the security of the country and support our industrial sectors.

One of the most significant important outcomes of the project is enriching the scientific research in information security. We have employed the tools and expertise gained through working in this project to publish cutting edge research in top applied cybersecurity and trustworthy data management conferences and journals.