Research Challenges for Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare: A South African Perspective

Abstract

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018: 6) states that "cyber capability should now be seen as a key aspect of some states' coercive power ... This has driven some European states to re-examine their industrial, political, social and economic vulnerabilities, influence operations and information warfare, as well as more traditional areas of military power." Cybersecurity is often incorrectly assumed to be a purely technical field, however there are numerous multidisciplinary aspects. The very nature of cybersecurity and operations in cyberspace is disruptive, and this is true for many disciplines attempting to introduce cybersecurity research into their offerings. This can provide challenges to researchers and students where methodologies that do not necessarily follow disciplinary norms are prejudiced against by old-school thought. Foundational understanding of concepts may also hinder multi-disciplinary research, as specific terminology that is used in cybersecurity may be considered colloquial or have different meanings in other disciplinary settings. The experimental, observational and mathematical research methodologies often employed by computer scientists do not address the political or legal aspects of cybersecurity research. Research methods for cybersecurity generally apply and teach the limited scientific methods for creating new knowledge, validating theories, and providing some critical insights into to the cybersecurity arena. This paper aims to investigate the South African national and institutional perspectives for higher education and research, identify challenges, and propose interventions to facilitate multidisciplinary research into cybersecurity and cyberwarfare in South Africa. Legislature and policies, organisational structures, processes, resources, and historical and socio-economic factors will be discussed as to the influence on cybersecurity research. A review and analysis of international efforts for multidisciplinary research in higher education institutions will provide for a basis to propose a framework for South African higher education institutions to effectively implement cybersecurity research.