The Saudi Aramco Cybersecurity Chair at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University IAU announced the launch of the ‘Aman’ initiative, which aims to raise awareness and reduce the dangers of technical hacks and extortion in the schools of the Eastern province. The chair harnesses all its capabilities and human resources to activate many community initiatives that aims at reducing phishing operations to which smart device users are exposed.
On this occasion, the Senior Vice President for Digitization, and Information Technology, Mr. Nabil AlNaim, praised ‘Aman’ initiative as it educates the young generations, and comes aligned with the values of “citizenship” at Saudi Aramco, that believes in education as a base to economic and social progress. Al-Naim also expressed his pride in the participation of 40 of the company’s specialized cadres to contribute at enriching the community knowledge, which is a responsibility that falls on everyone. He pointed out that the Saudi Aramco Cybersecurity Chair focuses on enhancing knowledge and safe use of the latest technologies by non-specialized users in the society. It also concentrates on launching non-profit awareness initiatives targeting future generations in schools of the Eastern Province.
For his part, Dr. Fahad AlHarbi, the university’s Vice President for Postgraduate Scientific Research and Innovation, said: “The Saudi Aramco Cybersecurity Chair, and in cooperation with the University, has adopted many initiatives that contribute at raising the awareness of the users of smart devices, and bring to public attention the importance of dealing with reliable technical sources. These initiatives are made due to the widespread use of technologies, smart devices, and social networking sites, and they aim at reducing the exposure of children, and teenagers, to the dangers of bullying, blackmailing, and illegal hacking. Thus, several initiatives will be launched during the current academic year to educate students at the intermediate and secondary levels about the dangers of technical crimes through lectures that cover many schools.”
The General Supervisor of the Saudi Aramco Cybersecurity Chair and the Dean of the College of Computer Science and Information Technology, Dr. Abdullah AlMuhaidib, added: “The content will be prepared and reviewed by specialists in cybersecurity at both Saudi Aramco and the College of Computer Science and Information Technology, which will result in forming a qualified group of teaching staff members and students to implement the project, coordinate and communicate with schools according to the availability of the participating members and students. Their target will be covering at least 20 schools in the Eastern Province during the academic year with the cooperation of the General Directorate of Education in the Eastern Province.”
Furthermore, Director of Information Protection Department at Saudi Aramco, Eng. Omar AlThukair, indicated that this initiative aims to support and encourage students to obtain professional certificates in the field of cybersecurity by having the chair bearing 50% of the exam fees. AlThukair confirmed that the Scientific Chair works on developing the skills of specialists and non-specialists in the field of cybersecurity by providing a package of diverse training programs and workshops that equip them with various skills in cybersecurity as a field. Thus, several training programs are prepared and organized by those in charge of the chair, or in cooperation with distinguished entities and specialists in the field to support students obtaining professional certificates.
