Earlier this week, Saudi computer scientist Fatemah Alharbi made headlines after being acknowledged by Apple Inc. for helping discover a flaw in their security system.
After her contribution, the tech company credited Alharbi on their website and added her to their recognition list.
Speaking to Arab News, the young PhD candidate explained how she came about the discovery.
"The problem I found enables any hacker to force the browser to visit a hacker-controlled site, making the victim believe it's a safe site," Alharbi said.
The victim of the attack will input their personal information, which will then be revealed to the hacker.
After her discovery, she contacted Apple to inform them "about the vulnerability in the system, and shared with them all the technical details and code."
"The company contacted me immediately and informed me that they'll release a new update for all Apple devices. They then asked for my permission to add my name to the recognition list. Of course, with pride, I agreed and thanked them for that," she said.
In her interview with Arab News, the young student also explained how she became interested in cybersecurity.
"I took a security course that was instructed by Prof. Omaimah Bamasak, who delivered the subject in a very interesting way. This influenced my decision to work in the field of cybersecurity, and specifically in information and network security," she said.
"Recently, I've been passionate about building systems that will have a long-term impact," she added.
Born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Alharbi holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from King Abdulaziz University and a master's degree in the same field from California State University.
She is currently pursuing a PhD in computer science at the University of California and is also a lecturer at the College of Computer Science and Engineering at Taibah University, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Alharbi's mention, a Jordanian professor from the University of California, Riverside, Nael Abu-Ghazaleh, was credited in the same section.
News of Alharbi's discovery broke Saudi Twitter
Many hailed the computer scientist for her work
"Thank you Fatemah, hats off to you."
"It's amazing to see such genius examples in our country"
"And from our sisters who have all the education and skills to serve their country."