First moments
We’re getting started here in Riyadh with the Saudi national anthem and a welcome from HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the governor of Riyadh Province.
What’s at stake
There’s lots of money involved if a cyber attack happens.
Global losses from cyber crime are supposed to reach $10.5 trillion (8.92 trillion) in 2025, in both direct costs like stealing funds and loss in revenue if companies lose their capacities even temporarily in a cyber attack.
One of the questions that will be addressed is: how can governments, technology companies and technology leaders collaborate to make sure less money and time is lost to cyber attacks?
What is cybersecurity?
So what is cybersecurity and why is Euronews covering it?
Cybersecurity is the combination of methods, processes, tools and behaviours that protect computer systems, networks and data from nefarious actors that are looking to steal it.
These cyber attacks are up 75 percent in the last five years, according to the organisers of the forum.
Just last week, airports in Brussels, Berlin and London reported disruptions to their electronic systems because of a cyberattack that made check in and boarding impossible.
From 2023 to 2024, critical infrastructure, so hospitals, power plants and transportation networks sustained over 420 million cyberattacks, or 13 attacks per second.
We see it more and more in everyday life too. Over 85 percent of survey participants by F-Secure said they had received a digital scam attempt in 2024.
That can be anything from a suspicious phishing link that you get by text, a suspicious email from someone impersonating a colleague or family member or even an AI-powered phone call that uses a clip of a loved one’s voice.
On the ground at the Global Cybersecurity Forum
Good morning from the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Euronews is on the ground to cover the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF).
This year’s conference, called “Scaling Cohesive Advancement in Cyberspace” is looking to strengthen global cyber resilience by advancing international collaboration and purposeful dialogue between C-Suite executives, government officials and organisations.
We’ll be here for the next two days bringing our followers the latest in the world of cybersecurity. On the agenda for day one: fireside talks with Dr. Saad Alaboodi , Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE), Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, Chief Technology Officer of Saudi Aramco and Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).