Cybersecurity Guidelines for E-commerce Consumers
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Introduction
The National Cybersecurity Authority (referred to in this document as “NCA”) developed the
Cybersecurity Guidelines for E-commerce Consumers (CGEC - 1: 2019) after conducting a
comprehensive study of multiple national and international cybersecurity e-commerce guidelines,
studying related national initiatives, statistics and regulatory requirements; reviewing and
leveraging cybersecurity best practices and analysing previous cybersecurity incidents and attacks
on consumers.
According to a recent study1 of the market in Saudi Arabia, around 58% of the population in the
Kingdom has shopped online at least once every three months, spending an average of SAR 4,000
on online shopping annually. Given the increased use of mobile solutions , such as mobile apps, and
the growing convenience of online shopping, these numbers are likely to be higher. According to
the same study, a significant number of the Saudi population have made purchases from companies
based in other GCC countries and outside the region, while only a fraction of consumers (7%) have
purchased exclusively from Saudi-based e-commerce service providers.
The main drivers of the rapid growth and adoption of e-commerce are the convenience of home
deliveries, the timesaving benefits of e-commerce, the attractive Internet offers, and the wide range
of products from which to choose. However, this has created new types of threats which these
guidelines are trying to address.
Scope of Applicability
These guidelines target all consumers in Saudi Arabia who are conducting e-commerce through any
channel (e.g., social media, websites, apps) using any computing device (e.g., personal computers,
tablets, smart phones and TVs).
These guidelines are for awareness purposes and are intended to help consumers navigate a secure
e-commerce experience.
1
E-Commerce in Saudi Arabia, Communications and Information Technology Commission, 2017
Document Classification: Open
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