Research Project
Cybersecurity Capacity Building
NUPIs project Cybersecurity and Developing Countries aims to systematically explore cyber security risks and assess cyber capacity building in developing countries. The global implications, and the risks and opportunities for donors - such as Norway - to assist developing countries with cyber security capacity building, is the focus of this study. The aim is to provide a critical analysis of how to actually accomplish cyber capacity building in practice.
The rapid growth of connectedness in the developing world brings potential benefits as well as risks, as increased dependency leads to greater systemic vulnerabilities. The private sector’s expansion of networks and technological platforms may be faster than the public sector’s capacity to follow up with regulation and safety-standards. Developing countries have been described as “wonderlands” for cybercriminals, and as the internet is expected to double in size every five years a “cybercrime avalanche” is expected to follow. Technological and regulatory loopholes may be exploited by criminals as well as politically motivated actors to conduct Cyber Network Operations (CNO), Cyber Network Exploitation (CNE), or even Cyber Network Attacks (CNA).
Because of the networked and borderless nature of cyberspace dangers are not confined to the countries and regions in question. It is often held that cyber security is only as strong as the weakest link. This means that weak cyber security in one country negatively affects global cyber security. Following this logic, enhancing cyber security in one place will benefit the larger system and the international community at large. Regardless of the validity of this theory, the nature of cyberspace makes makes cyber risks a global problem that is likely to increase as more and more people get connected.
This raises a number of questions:
Are there any security benefits for Western countries in assisting emerging economies in building cyber security capacities? If so, what are these benefits? Furthermore, what aspects of cyber security capacities are most crucial for a country to develop? Is it legislation, Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), law enforcement and/or something else? Should we instead of working with state institutions target our future work primarily towards the private sector and network providers.
The aim of this project is to map out the concrete risks and challenges, the best tools to deal with them and how to implement these tools most effectively.
Seminars 2016:
Launch of the World Bank Development Report 2016
Seminars 2015:
Digitale sårbarheter – Internasjonale løsninger
Cybersikkerhet i internasjonale fora: Hvem skal delta?
Seminars 2014:
Security and Liberty in Cyberspace. Countermeasures and dilemmas in securing a global free cyberspace.
Theory Seminar: Theorizing cybersecurity
Project Manager
Participants
New publications
Cyber Security Capacity Building in Developing Countries: challenges and Opportunities
Cyberspace is an intrinsic part of the development of any country. A strong cyber capacity is crucial for states to progress and develop in economic, political and social spheres. The need to integrate cyber capacity building and development policies has been documented by both the cyber community, academia and policy makers. The investment in securing cyberspace affects the success rate of other policy initiatives as well. However, there is a clear need for a deeper dialogue with the development community and recipient countries in order to better understand how to implement cyber capacities in practice in order to achieve broader development goals. To stimulate the debate on cyber capacity building and its impacton social and economic development worldwide this brief puts forward challenges to implementation. The aim is to set priorities and identify indicators of success and failure. To steer this process a better overview of initiatives and avoid duplication, it is necessary to set up the challenges that both the donors and recipients face. By doing this we move cyber capacity building one step closer to successful implementation.
Cyber Security Capacity Building in Developing Countries
Cyberspace is an intrinsic part of the development of any country. A strong cyber capacity is crucial for states to progress and develop in economic, political and social spheres. The need to integrate cyber capacity building and development policies has been documented by both the cyber community, academia and policy makers. The investment in securing cyberspace is crucial, as it affects the success rate of other policy initiatives as well. However, there is a clear need for a deeper dialogue with the development community and recipient countries in order to better understand how to implement cyber capacities in practice in order to achieve broader development goals. To stimulate the debate on cyber capacity building and its on social and economic development worldwide this brief puts forward challenges to implementation. The aim to is to set priorities and identify indicators of success and failure. To steer this process a better overview of initiatives and avoid duplication, it is necessary to set up the challenges that both the donors and recipients face. By doing this we move cyber capacity building one step closer to successful implementation.
Cyber Security Capacity Building : Developing Access
This study concentrates on providing the rationale and identifying potential ‘dimensions’ for certain governmental CCB instruments, and what tasks they should cover. The ‘methodological’ dimension includes developing frameworks for assessing and delivering CCB programmes, but also extends to general frameworks for supporting a country’s national cyber security strategy as well as the basic research needed. The ‘technical’ dimension is concentrated on the need to train and support the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and law enforcement capabilities of partner countries. In fact, such initiatives had already been ongoing for many years before the term ‘CCB’ was coined. Thirdly, the existence of ‘infrastructure’ development programmes has long been a feature of international development, albeit without much focus on security concerns. Fourthly, the instrument of overall ‘budgetary support’ can be used for directly funding partner countries’ operational expenses in issues related to cyber security over a prolonged period. The study concludes with some recommendations for policy-makers
Cyber Security Capacity Building: Security and Freedom
The threats associated with ICT are multifaceted. The present report posits that cyber capacity building (CCB) should not be considered simply a risk management endeavor. The potential for malware, cyber attacks, and cyber crime are not the only challenges associated with the rapid spread of ICT. Policymakers must also consider the intersection of technology and politics, particularly in developing countries still transitioning into democracies.