Saudi Arabia has set up a new authority for cyber security by Royal Decree, and named the Minister of State, Musaed al-Aiban, its Chairman, reported Reuters.

The National Authority for Cyber Security will be linked to the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and was created to "boost the cyber security of the state, and protect its vital interests, national security and sensitive infrastructure," the Decree stated.

It will also improve protection of networks, information technology systems and data.

Saudi Arabia has been the target of frequent cyber attacks. Earlier this year, it put out an alert about the "Shamoon" virus, which cripples computers by wiping their disks, after the Labour Ministry had been attacked and a chemical company reported a network disruption. Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, was hit by the virus in 2012, added Reuters.