🔐 Cybersecurity Glossary

A comprehensive framework of policies, procedures, and technical controls for the secure generation, distribution, storage, rotation, revocation, and destruction of cryptographic keys throughout their lifecycle. Effective key management is critical for maintaining the security of encrypted data and is explicitly required by SAMA CSF, NCA ECC, and international standards including ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and PCI DSS 4.0. A robust KMS addresses key separation of duties, implements hardware security modules (HSMs) for key protection, enforces regular key rotation schedules, maintains detailed audit logs, and ensures business continuity through secure key backup and recovery procedures. For Saudi organizations, proper key management is essential for maintaining data sovereignty and meeting regulatory requirements, particularly when using cloud services or managing encryption across hybrid environments.

A comprehensive regulatory framework issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) that establishes mandatory cybersecurity controls and requirements for all financial institutions operating in Saudi Arabia. The framework addresses governance, risk management, technical controls, incident response, and third-party risk management, aligned with international standards while reflecting Saudi Arabia's regulatory environment and Vision 2030 digital transformation objectives.