CMA Cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia: Complete Compliance Guide

The Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA) Cybersecurity Guidelines issued by the Capital Market Authority aim to strengthen the cybersecurity maturity of financial institutions by defining clear regulatory expectations. The guidelines are built around four primary domains and 26 subdomains, addressing governance, risk management, operational cybersecurity controls, and third-party security. While the framework is non-certifiable, it requires authorized entities to perform continuous risk assessments, monitor cyber threats, and implement strong technical and organizational security measures to protect critical financial systems and data.

Key Elements of the CMA Cybersecurity Guidelines

• Employee Awareness: The guidelines place strong emphasis on ongoing cybersecurity awareness and training, starting from employee onboarding and continuing throughout employment.
• Core Domains: The framework focuses on governance, risk management, operational controls, and third-party cybersecurity.
• Key Subdomains: These include cybersecurity governance structure, infrastructure and network security, change and project management, identity and access management, and cloud computing security.
• Third-Party Controls: Organizations must ensure contracts include confidentiality clauses, secure data disposal after contract termination, and defined incident response obligations.
• Mandatory Requirements: Financial institutions are required to regularly assess risks, identify cyber threats and vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor their environments.