Introduction
With the progressive digitalization of financial services, safeguarding sensitive data, transactions, and the availability of services have become a priority to the financial sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). These services are not only fundamental to the global and national economy, but also vital to digital innovation and national security.
Cyber-attacks have increasingly posed a significant challenge to organizations, with threat actors becoming more sophisticated and continuously evolving their modus operandi and attack vectors. Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) enables organizations to collect, analyze, and share data concerning cyber threats. A better understanding of these cyber threats, both existing and emerging, enables organizations to proactively anticipate cyber attacks and protect critical information assets.
The document is an extension of the Cyber Security Framework (CSF) mandated by the Saudi Central Bank* (SAMA), specifically of its associated "Threat Management" subdomain. SAMA created the Cyber Threat Intelligence Principles with the aim of scaling up the CTI practices within the financial sector regulated by SAMA.
* The "Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency" was replaced By the "Saudi Central Bank" in accordance with The Saudi Central Bank Law No. (M/36), dated 11/04/1442H, corresponding to 26/11/2020G.
Scope of Applicability
This document is mandatory for all Member Organizations regulated by SAMA.
This document is intended for senior and executive management, business owners, owners of information assets, Chief Information Security Officers (CISO), and individuals accountable for and involved in defining, implementing, and reviewing Cyber Threat Intelligence within Member Organizations.
Responsibilities
This document is mandated by SAMA, who is the owner of the document and is responsible for its periodic updates. Member Organizations are responsible for adopting and implementing the principles contained in this document.
Review, Updates and Maintenance
SAMA will review the document periodically to evaluate its applicability to the context of the KSA financial sector and its Member Organizations. If deemed necessary, SAMA will update the document based on the outcome of the review. Once changes are applied, SAMA will retire the previous version, and release and communicate the new version to all Member Organizations.