RIYADH - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman issued a decree on Tuesday to set up the National Cyber Security Authority.

Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet Dr. Musaed Al-Aiban has been appointed as chairman of the board of directors of the authority. The authority will be directly linked to the monarch, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Members of the board include head of the Presidency of State Security, chairman of the General Intelligence, deputy minister of interior, and assistant minister of defense.

Al-Aiban thanked the King and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, for establishing the authority as the Kingdom’s competent body with all those related with cyber security with an objective of enhancing the State’s cyber security so as to protect its vital interests, national security and sensitive infrastructure.

Al-Aiban said the authority will begin its regulatory and operational tasks in the area of cyber security by enhancing the protection of networks, IT systems, operating systems, hardware and software components, services and data, taking into account the increasingly vital importance of cyber security in the lives of the public.

He disclosed that the authority also aims to establish a national industry in the field of cyber security.

Al-Aiban stressed that the authority will give top priority to attract and hire qualified national cadres, build partnerships with public and private entities, and stimulate innovation and investment in cyber security to contribute to achieving a technological renaissance that serves the future of the Kingdom’s national economy.