Hackers will face five years in prison or be fined a maximum of SR3 million or both, said Sultan Al-Malik, spokesman at the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), while delivering a lecture at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said the CITC has already approved the new punishment and warned that individuals who hack company websites and individual accounts would be penalized in accordance with the law.

He said the measures were taken to ensure information security, protect rights related to the use of computers and the Internet and safeguard public interest, morality and the national economy.

The 16-article law to fight cyber crimes could issue prison sentences of up to 10 years and fines of up to SR5 million depending on the type of crime, he said.

“A person who hacks a site for harassment, destructive purposes or to violate personal privacy will face one year in prison and SR500,000 fine or both,” Al-Malik said.

Embezzlement through impersonation and attempts to acquire bank information will lead to three-year prison term and a SR2 million fine, he said.

Hackers who try to stop a network or obstruct services, meanwhile, will be liable to a four-year prison term and a SR3 million fine.

“Individuals who promote terrorism and bomb-making and attempt to obtain national security information will be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined up to SR5 million,” he said.