Saudi entertainment authority hit by cyber attacks

The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) said on its Twitter account on Friday that its website has been hit by cyber attacks from outside the Kingdom.

The GEA said it was working to end the attacks, which began early on Thursday, to prevent any impact to its website or social media accounts.

“The source of the subversive attacks, which aim to harm the authority and its efforts, is being identified,” it added.

Last year, the GEA was set up as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 reform program to provide entertainment options for Saudis. It organized many programs throughout 2017 including concerts, comedy shows, a Monster truck show, and Saudi Arabia’s first ever Comic-Con.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia put out an alert about an online virus targeting computers to wipe their disks, as the Kingdom’s labor ministry was among the authorities attacked by the virus.