RIYADH — The National Cybersecurity Authority of Saudi Arabia has launched the Fourth GCC Cybersecurity Exercise in Riyadh, bringing together cybersecurity experts from all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and the GCC General Secretariat.
The multi-day drill is designed to enhance regional cyber readiness, improve incident response capabilities, and facilitate knowledge exchange across Gulf nations. It also aims to strengthen joint digital defenses in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
> “The exercise underscores our shared commitment to securing the Gulf’s digital space through strategic cooperation and capability building,” said officials from the organizing body.
The exercise includes a series of simulated cyberattacks, allowing participants to practice end-to-end incident response — from threat detection and analysis to containment, recovery, and post-event review. Information sharing and lessons learned are facilitated through a specialized simulation platform developed in partnership with SITE (Saudi Information Technology Company), the technical arm of the National Cybersecurity Authority.
The platform enables real-time cyber drill scenarios that reflect the latest tactics used by malicious actors, offering a hands-on approach to regional cyber defense.
The initiative forms part of a broader GCC cybersecurity strategy, which was formalized in 2024 during the third GCC Ministerial Committee on Cybersecurity in Doha. That meeting also launched the GCC Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing Platform, a milestone in regional collaboration.
The ongoing drill reflects continued efforts to build on shared achievements and to recognize cybersecurity as a critical enabler of economic growth and stability across the Gulf.
