What is Saudi Arabia’s NCA OTCC-1:2022 Compliance?
Saudi Arabia’s NCA OTCC-1:2022 compliance refers to adherence to the Operational Technology Cybersecurity Controls (OTCC-1:2022) issued by the Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA). This national standard defines baseline cybersecurity controls for critical infrastructure and industrial environments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, focusing on the protection of operational technology (OT) assets across energy, water, transportation, and manufacturing sectors.
Why is Saudi Arbia’s NCA OTCC-1:2022 Compliance Important?
As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and national cybersecurity initiatives, the NCA developed OTCC-1:2022 to establish a regulatory foundation for protecting OT systems from cyber threats. The standard is mandatory for regulated critical infrastructure entities and emphasizes technical, administrative, and procedural controls across 12 domains, including network segmentation, access control, secure remote access, and auditability.
Key access-related requirements include:
- Enforcing role- and risk-based access control for OT systems
- Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) and identity verification
- Preventing the use of shared or default credentials
- Logging and auditing all remote access activity
- Controlling third-party and vendor access workflows
- Ensuring session monitoring and least privilege access
Failure to comply with OTCC-1:2022 can result in regulatory penalties and increased exposure to cyber risk, particularly in industries with high national impact.
How Does Xona Help with OTCC-1:2022 Compliance?
Xona helps Saudi Arbian critical infrastructure operators meet OTCC-1:2022 technical controls for secure remote access, identity assurance, and auditability. Built for OT environments, the Xona platform enforces:
- Role-based and time-based access policies
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and credential injection
- Protocol isolation using browser-based access to RDP, VNC, SSH, and more
- Session logging, video recording, and real-time monitoring
- Vendor access controls with identity-level accountability and session termination
Xona directly aligns with OTCC-1:2022 Control Domains including:
- AC (Access Control)
- IA (Identification and Authentication)
- RA (Remote Access Management)
- AU (Audit and Accountability)
- SI (System Integrity)
These capabilities enable organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to deliver compliant remote access workflows that meet the NCA’s regulatory mandate without exposing critical systems to unmanaged risk.
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