6th European Conference - Academic Conferences

Changing the Face of Cyber Warfare with International
Cyber Defense Collaboration
Marthie Grobler 1 , Joey Jansen van Vuuren 1 and Jannie Zaaiman 2
1
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
2
University of Venda, South Africa
mgrobler1@csir.co.za
jjvvuuren@csir.co.za
jannie.zaaiman@univen.ac.za
Abstract: The international scope of the internet and global reach of technological usage requires the South
African legislative system to address issues related to the application and implementation of international
legislation. However, legislation in cyberspace is rather complex since the technological revolution and dynamic
technological innovations are often not well suited to any legal system. A further complication is the lack of
comprehensive international cyber defense cooperation treaties. The result is that many countries are not
properly prepared, nor adequately protected by legislation, in the event of a cyber attack on a national level. This
article will address the international cyber defense collaboration problem by looking at the impact of technological
revolution on warfare. Thereafter, the article will evaluate the South African legal system with regard to
international cyber defense collaboration. It will also look at the influence of cyber defense on the international
position of the Government, as well as cyber security and cyber warfare acts and the command and control
aspects thereof. The research presented is largely theoretical in nature, focusing on recent events in the public
international domain.
Keywords: collaboration, cyber defense, legislation, government responsibility
1. Introduction
The international scope of the internet and global reach of technological usage requires the South
African legislative system to address issues related to the application and implementation of
international legislation. However, the complexities of cyberspace and the dynamic nature of
technology innovations requires a cyber defense framework that is not well suited to any current legal
system. A further complication is the lack of comprehensive international cyber defense cooperation
treaties, resulting in many countries not being properly prepared, or adequately protected by
legislation, in the event of a cyber attack on a national level.
For the purpose of this article, cyber warfare is defined as the use of exploits in cyber space as a way
to intentionally cause harm to people, assets or economies (Owen 2008). It can further be defined as
the use and management of information in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent,
involving "the collection of tactical information, assurance that one’s own information is valid,
spreading of propaganda or disinformation among the enemy, undermining the quality of opposing
force information and denial of service or of information collection opportunities to opposing forces"
(Williams & Arreymbi 2007).
The article will address some of the aspects related to changing the face of cyber warfare, focusing
specifically on international cyber defense collaboration. It will look at some international technological
revolutions that had an impact on the international legal scope and briefly evaluate the South African
legal system with regard to international cyber defense collaboration. The article will also address
international cyber warfare and the influence of cyber defense on the international position of the
Government. The article will conclude with recommendations on working towards international cyber
defense collaboration.
2. Technological revolutions' impact on warfare
Modern society created both a direct and indirect dependence on information technology, with a
strong reliance on immediacy, access and connections (Williams & Arreymbi 2007). As a result, a
compromise of the confidentiality, availability or integrity of the technological systems could have
dramatic consequences regardless of whether it is the temporary interruption of connectivity, or a
longer-term disruption caused by a cyber attack (Warren 2008).
Battlespace, as implied by military use and warfare, is becoming increasingly difficult to define since
advances in technology revolutionized the act of war. "Today, cyber attacks can target political
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