Assessment of the status of spam in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Spam is a serious threat to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) worldwide. It is used to not only transmit unsolicited messages, but also malware of every stripe and to propagate various types of phishing schemes. Spam has become so internationally wide-spread that in some regions it represents over 90% of the total e-mail traffic. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of the study commissioned by the Communications and Information Technology Commission to ascertain the magnitude of spam in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and formulate a comprehensive multi-pronged solution for handling spam in Saudi Arabia based upon best international practices, current situation and national requirements. This paper will only focus on determining the current state of spam in KSA, focusing on obtaining a good understanding of the nature and prevalence of spam within Saudi Arabia. This information will then form the basis upon which the anti-spam national strategy framework will be based. The study was compiled using the statistics that were gathered from stakeholders via different means including questionnaires, interviews and meetings. It covers e-mail, mobile and fax spam. It also highlights some of the stakeholders’ concerns and recommendations regarding spam, as well as the measures taken by these stakeholders to control spam in their networks.