Cybersecurity Capacity Building 2.0 - Bridging the digital divide and strengthening sustainable development
The project will trace how increased awareness about cybersecurity in developing countries can strengthen the ability to protect critical digital infrastructure and combat cyber threats. More specifically the purpose of the project is to identify mechanisms that can be built upon in order to:
i) increase cyber capacities through development and aid projects,
ii) provide advise for how developing countries can establish CCB programmes and utilize private sector expertise,
iii) identify mechanisms that can be built upon for international cooperation at the diplomacy arena on internet governance and cyber security in the global society, and
iv) identify how new partnerships can be built through CCB programmes.
Our recommendations will be grounded in fieldwork in developing countries, desktop studies and participation at international conferences and multistakeholder processes. The research will be organized into three separate, but interconnected work packages:
1. Cybersecurity Capacity Building (CCB) – a) 2 case countries: Myanmar and Tanzania, b) Implementation of a cybersecurity maturity model in developing countries
2. Public-private collaboration on cybersecurity awareness
3. International cyberpolitics, international cooperation and developing countries as potential swing states.
The project is part of NUPI's research programme Cyber Security Forum.
Read more about the project here.
Project Manager
Participants
New publications
The Cyber Frontier
The cyber frontier perspective serves to explicate that the Global South’s participation in digitalization is not simply a matter of joining cyberspace. On the contrary, it is a matter of selective forms of global connection in combination with disconnection and exclusion. I contextualize security concerns by describing the trajectory of digitalization in the Global South. I proceed by exploring how “technological leapfrogging” can create new and unique societal vulnerabilities. By linking digitalization with security and economic growth, cybersecurity is seen in connection with development assistance and the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Finally, I hold that this triple knot (digitalization, security and economic growht) represents an opportunity for donors such as the EU to foster new types of development assistance building on a continued engagement in the Global South.
Conflict in Cyber Space: Theoretical, strategic and legal perspectives
Adopting a multidisciplinary perspective, this book explores the key challenges associated with the proliferation of cyber capabilities. Over the past two decades, a new man-made domain of conflict has materialized. Alongside armed conflict in the domains of land, sea, air, and space, hostilities between different types of political actors are now taking place in cyberspace. This volume addresses the challenges posed by cyberspace hostility from theoretical, political, strategic and legal perspectives. In doing so, and in contrast to current literature, cyber-security is analysed through a multidimensional lens, as opposed to being treated solely as a military or criminal issues, for example. The individual chapters map out the different scholarly and political positions associated with various key aspects of cyber conflict and seek to answer the following questions: do existing theories provide sufficient answers to the current challenges posed by conflict in cyberspace, and, if not, could alternative approaches be developed?; how do states and non-state actors make use of cyber-weapons when pursuing strategic and political aims?; and, how does the advent of conflict in cyberspace challenge our established legal framework? By asking important strategic questions on the theoretical, strategic, ethical and legal implications and challenges of the proliferation of cyber warfare capabilities, the book seeks to stimulate research into an area that has hitherto been neglected. This book will be of much interest to students of cyber-conflict and cyber-warfare, war and conflict studies, international relations, and security studies.
Cyber Security as Development Assistance - Growth and Vulnerability
The importance of digital technology underpins most of the social, economic and political development goals of most donor countries and international organisations today. Cyber Security Capacity Building (CCB), an approach aimed at advancing, cultivating and encouraging growth and stability in developing countries through digitalization, seems set to play an increasingly important role in future foreign policy considerations and government programmes. In the NUPI project ‘Cyber Security Capacity Building (2015-2016) we have mapped out concrete risks and challenges, proposed recommendations for dealing with them, and provided suggestions for implementing the adequate tools effectively. This policy brief presents a summary of the final report, which draws on project reports produced by NUPI related to this project.
Teach a person how to surf: Cyber security as development assistance
Much policy literature on digitalization and development has focused on the importance of connecting developing countries to digital networks, and how such technology can expand access to information for billions of people in developing countries, stimulating economic activity, collaboration and organizations. Good connection to digital networks may have a fundamental impact on societies, changing not only how individuals and businesses navigate, operate and seek opportunities, but also as regards relations between government and the citizenry. Instead of adding to the substantial literature on the potential dividends, this report examines a less studied issue: the new societal vulnerabilities emerging from digitalization in developing countries. While there is wide agreement about the need to bridge the gap between the connected and the disconnected, the pitfalls are many, especially concerning cyber security, a topic often neglected, also in the recent World Bank report Digital Dividends (2016). The present report is an attempt at redressing this imbalance.
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.
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 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.