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KAUST Trains Saudi Women in Cybersecurity

Saudi cybersecurity graduates
Saudi cybersecurity graduates
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KAUST Trains Saudi Women in Cybersecurity

Saudi cybersecurity graduates
Saudi cybersecurity graduates

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced that it will provide cyber-security training to Saudi female graduates in partnership with RSA and the support of the Early Career Accelerator Program, which the university established to engage more women in IT and in the national digital transformation and equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to obtain jobs in the local market.

Speaking about the program, Samer Samman, Chief Human Resources Officer at KAUST, explained, "Opportunities in cybersecurity in the Middle East were limited in the past for women."

“It is time to change that. The initiative was launched by the National Cybersecurity Authority during the Global Cybersecurity Forum at the beginning of this year, in order to support the women working in this field through a series of initiatives, emphasizing the Kingdom's commitment to increasing women's participation in the labor market within the framework of (Vision 2030).”

Four female graduates from the University of Prince Mugrin in Madinah who had finished their holistic risk management training took part in the inaugural program.

KAUST and RSA will continue to provide graduates with consultation guidance and support for a year and a half after they complete the program, as they apply the skills they garnered during their training in the workplace.

Those in charge of the KAUST program expect to accelerate career development and become a continuous initiative held every year, with between two and four female graduates participating in each, to give participants the opportunity to work in different areas of digital risk management.

“We believe it is imperative that cybersecurity companies such as RSA support initiatives that bridge the cyber skills gap, presenting the broader technology sector with a model to replicate,” says Gennaro Scalo, director of the Group's Risk Committee at RSA in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“It is a source of pride that my RSA team has equal representation of both genders, and I am glad to see these young Saudi women pave the way for this becoming the rule, not an exception.”

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Varieties

Strongest Winds in Over a Decade Could Increase Fire Risk to Southern California

FILE - Flags fly under heavy winds before sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises over the ocean Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)
FILE - Flags fly under heavy winds before sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises over the ocean Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)
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Strongest Winds in Over a Decade Could Increase Fire Risk to Southern California

FILE - Flags fly under heavy winds before sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises over the ocean Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)
FILE - Flags fly under heavy winds before sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises over the ocean Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)

The strongest winds in more than a decade could hit Southern California on Tuesday, potentially causing structural damage and bringing extreme fire risk to areas that haven't seen substantial rain in months.

Beginning Tuesday afternoon, the windstorm will affect Los Angeles and Ventura counties and peak in the early hours of Wednesday, when gusts could reach 80 mph (129 kph), the National Weather Service said Monday.

Isolated gusts could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills, The Associated Press reported.

The weather service warned of downed trees and knocked over big rigs, trailers, and motorhomes. Powerful offshore gusts will also bring dangerous conditions off the coasts of Orange County and LA, including Catalina Island, and potential delays and turbulence could arise at local airports.
Public safety power shutoffs are being considered for nearly 300,000 customers across the region, according to Southern California Edison’s website.

The upcoming winds will act as an “atmospheric blow-dryer” for vegetation, bringing a long period of fire risk that could extend into the more populated lower hills and valleys, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

“We really haven't seen a season as dry as this one follow a season as wet as the previous one,” Swain said during a Monday livestream. “All of that extra abundant growth of grass and vegetation followed immediately by a wind event of this magnitude while it's still so incredibly dry," elevates the risk.
Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season.
Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain since early May. Much of the region has fallen into moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Meanwhile, up north, there have been multiple drenching storms.
Areas where gusts could create extreme fire conditions include the charred footprint of last month’s wind-driven Franklin Fire, which damaged or destroyed 48 structures, mostly homes, in and around Malibu.
The blaze was one of nearly 8,000 wildfires that added up to scorch more than 1,560 square miles (more than 4,040 square kilometers) in the Golden State last year.
The last wind event of this magnitude occurred in November 2011, according to the NWS, during which more than 400,000 customers throughout LA County lost power, the Los Angeles Times reported. At night, normally bustling streets were dim and left without traffic signals.
Planned power shutoffs for the public's safety, if deemed necessary, are projected to happen Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Southern California Edison.
“The grid is built to withstand strong winds,” said Jeff Monford, a spokesperson for the utility. “The issue here is the possibility of debris becoming airborne and hitting wires ... or a tree coming down.”