Information Security in the Arab World: Risks and Challenges

Abstract

This study aims at identifying the risks and challenges facing information technology in the Arab world, through measuring the magnitude of cybercrimes; cybersecurity capabilities in the Arab world; the impact of the gap in the research and development on cybersecurity; and the legal and organizational readiness to maintain cybersecurity and its security measures in the region. This study applied the descriptive analytical method as it is the most appropriate method to achieve its objectives. The study concluded to a number of results, such as: the Arab countries vary in their exposure to cybercrime risks and their capabilities to encounter those risks; the Gulf Countries are the least capable to combat cyber-attack risks due to the lack in technical skills compared to advanced countries; and the limited spread of communication networks in some Arab countries made them less exposed to cybercrime risks. It also showed that Arab countries, except of Oman, ranked last compared to other world countries regarding the legal and regulatory readiness. Moreover, the Study highlights that there is no correlation between cybersecurity regulatory and administrative readiness for a country, and the capability to encounter cyber-attack risks. The study concluded to a number of recommendations, such as: the importance of enacting new regulations on cybercrimes; establishing a central government entity for cybersecurity-related issues; and developing a national cybersecurity strategy that clearly identifies the roles and responsibilities of entities.