Google Cloud, Haboob Partner to Strengthen Saudi Arabia's Nationwide Cyber Defense

Haboob announced its partnership with Google Cloud to deliver Chronicle CyberShield to Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Haboob announced its partnership with Google Cloud to deliver Chronicle CyberShield to Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
TT

Google Cloud, Haboob Partner to Strengthen Saudi Arabia's Nationwide Cyber Defense

Haboob announced its partnership with Google Cloud to deliver Chronicle CyberShield to Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Haboob announced its partnership with Google Cloud to deliver Chronicle CyberShield to Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Haboob, a leading cybersecurity service provider owned by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), announced its partnership with Google Cloud to deliver Chronicle CyberShield to Saudi Arabia.

This marks the first time Chronicle CyberShield will be offered in a managed services model in the Kingdom, aiming to bolster cybersecurity services for public sector organizations, said Haboob in a statement on Tuesday.

The news was revealed at Black Hat MEA in Riyadh.

“Chronicle CyberShield is a comprehensive solution that provides technology, processes, capabilities and resources to deliver situational awareness of the cyber threat landscape. It is uniquely designed for government entities to share threat information, help accelerate investigations and initiate a united response against persistent and ever-evolving threats proactively and rapidly,” said the statement

Haboob and Google Cloud are addressing the rising demand for cloud services in the Kingdom in alignment with the Saudi Vision 2030 digital transformation goals.

Running on Google Cloud's infrastructure, Chronicle CyberShield is capable of ingesting large amounts of data and conducting analytics within seconds. This can be a crucial factor when protecting one of the top 20 global economies and dealing with diverse data sources across various organizations and industries.

Haboob is spearheading the nationwide implementation of this solution, including the launch of a modernized Government Security Operations Center in Saudi Arabia, with advanced threat intelligence capabilities, enabling proactive detection and response to threats and incidents.

As part of the partnership, Haboob will also have access to a range of services from cybersecurity leader Mandiant, part of Google Cloud, including incident response capabilities, compromise and cyber defense assessments, and red teaming, in order to help protect key customer assets.

CEO of Haboob Eng. Saleh Alhaqbani underlined their keenness to provide their services to a wide range of clients in government and private sectors, which reflects great confidence in their ability to meet their needs in the cybersecurity sector, said the statement.

He stressed the importance of managed security monitoring services, which are growing significantly due to the legislation and security controls of the National Cybersecurity Authority, as well as the great risks resulting from cyber threats and new and complex methods of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) to bypass and penetrate technical systems.

Alhaqbani added that Haboob is delivering a managed security monitoring service in partnership with Google Cloud using Google Chronicle CyberShield, which is supported by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that help it detect complex cyber threats. Haboob is seeking to contribute to creating a safe cyberspace and achieving its strategic goals that have been worked on to align with Saudi Vision 2030's strategic goals.



Facebook-Parent Meta Settles with Australia’s Privacy Watchdog over Cambridge Analytica Lawsuit

The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. (Reuters)
The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. (Reuters)
TT

Facebook-Parent Meta Settles with Australia’s Privacy Watchdog over Cambridge Analytica Lawsuit

The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. (Reuters)
The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. (Reuters)

Meta Platforms has agreed to a A$50 million settlement ($31.85 million), Australia's privacy watchdog said on Tuesday, closing long-drawn, expensive legal proceedings for the Facebook parent over the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner had alleged that personal information of some users was being disclosed to Facebook's personality quiz app, This is Your Digital Life, as part of the broader scandal.

The breaches were first reported by the Guardian in early 2018, and Facebook received fines from regulators in the United States and the UK in 2019.

Australia's privacy regulator has been caught up in the legal battle with Meta since 2020. The personal data of 311,127 Australian Facebook users was "exposed to the risk of being disclosed" to consulting firm Cambridge Analytica and used for profiling purposes, according to the 2020 statement.

It convinced the high court in March 2023 to not hear an appeal, which is considered to be a win that allowed the watchdog to continue its prosecution.

In June 2023, the country's federal court ordered Meta and the privacy commissioner to enter mediation.

"Today's settlement represents the largest ever payment dedicated to addressing concerns about the privacy of individuals in Australia," the Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said.

Cambridge Analytica, a British consulting firm, was known to have kept personal data of millions of Facebook users without their permission, before using the data predominantly for political advertising, including assisting Donald Trump and the Brexit campaign in the UK.

A Meta spokesperson told Reuters that the company had settled the lawsuit in Australia on a no admission basis, closing a chapter on allegations regarding past practices of the firm.