The Current State of Cyber-Readiness of Saudi Arabia

The continuous information technology and telecommunication (ICT) developments inspire several Saudi Arabia citizens to transact and interact online. However, when using online platforms, several people are likely to lose their personal information to cybercriminals. In the survey, 553 Saudi Arabia citizens and 103 information technology (IT) specialists confirm the expansion of digital economy and the need for smart cities with various services, including e-commerce and solid cyber security. 96.6% of the participants believe Saudi Arabia is digitalizing its economy; yet, 33.3% of the participants believe that residents are uninformed about living and operating in smart cities. Several people (47.29%) with medium intemet speed are more aware about smart cities than those with fastest internet speed (34%). Besides, online transactions via credit cards subjected 55.5% of the participants to privacy and security issues. These findings validate the essence of cyber security awareness programs among Saudi Arabia citizens and IT professionals to boost public trust and acceptance of cybersecurity frameworks.