National security governance exemplified by South Africa's cyber security policy implementation

Abstract

There exists a paucity of research on ethical considerations in cyberdefence policies that can provide nation states guidance in mitigating the risks of a cyber attack to their national interests and to preparing for a cyber offence in response to an attack. A discourse analysis of the “0x Omar”-Israeli conflict of 2012, as reported in the Arabic and English media and on the Internet, is used to explore ethical issues that this case raises and to examine how the risks posed could be mitigated in relation to relevant elements of the South African cybersecurity policy framework. Questions raised include: At what point does the policy require a nation state to prepare for a cyber offence in response to a cyber attack?; and, How does a nation determine if the attack is directed towards a particular company, or against the nation?