Smart Citizens Cyber Resilience
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This project aims to enhance the resilience of citizens and civil society stakeholders in smart digital futures, both in Macau and around the world.
MOTIVATION
Information and communication technologies are part of the critical infrastructure that supports all areas of our lives, from health and transportation to entertainment and leisure services.
Cyber resilience enhances the ability of individuals, communities, cities, and countries to achieve the desired level of functioning in the face of adverse cyber incidents – which can emanate from technical or socio-technical, as well as natural or man-made sources. Resilience as a goal is articulated in Sustainable Development Goal 11 “Sustainable cities and communities”, the New Urban Agenda, as well as in the Sendai Framework.
Despite the potential impacts of adverse cyber events on individuals and civil society stakeholders, cyber resilience has traditionally been considered from the perspective of governments, private sector companies, and organizations. It is typically considered from the single domain of technical systems, hence towards ensuring the resilience of critical information infrastructure, operational technologies, and information and communication technologies infrastructure.
This perspective fails to take into consideration the multi-dimensionality of cyber resilience and also neglects the role and the responsibilities of the civil society stakeholders towards co-production of cyber resilience. It also fails to recognize cyber resilience as an attribute of the whole system and as requiring a whole-of-society approach.
ACTIVITIES
National Cybersecurity Strategies ReviewA review of the National Cybersecurity Strategies (NCS) of countries in the Asia and Pacific region to investigate the extent to which they foreground and mainstream whole-of-society cyber resilience in the strategies.
SMART Citizen Cyber Resilience Ontology (SC2RO)
Modelling the citizen cyber resilience domain knowledge to identify the resources (assets), vulnerabilities, threats, reponses (countermeasures), and harms (impacts). The ontology identifies socio-technical cyber threats and maps countermeasures along the four resilience phases of prepare, absorb, recover, and adapt.
Cyber Resilience Capacity Building
Undertaking cyber resilience capacity building for civil society stakeholders, initially in Macau and later in the Asia Pacific region. This is undertaken through a set of workshops targeted at various roles within third-sector organizations i.e., managers and directors, IT support personnel, and general staff. Another set of capacity-building activities are targeted at individuals.
Civil Society Organizations Cybersecurity Landscape
Investigating the cybersecurity posture of local civil society organizations (CSOs). This activity is undertaken through surveys and interviews with the directors of local CSOs to understand cybersecurity preparedness, risk appetite, exposure, and experience of adverse cyber incidents.
Developing tools to enhance the resilience of individuals against cyber threats. CybResil.io helps individuals keep track of their digital resources, monitor threat exposure, and undertake recommended counter measures.
TEAM MEMBERS
Mamello Thinyane, Debora Christine, Christy Un, Vitoria dos SantosPROJECT BRIEF
RELEVANT OUTPUTS / FEATURES
- Un, Christy, Thinyane, Mamello and Christine, Debora (2021). Civil Society Organizations’ Cyber Resilience – leaving no civil society organization behind in cyber resilience. United Nations University.
- Christine, D. (2021). Improving cybersecurity means understanding how cyberattacks affect both governments and civilians, The Conversation, 20 July 2021
- Un, Christy & Thinyane, M. (2021). Leave no one behind: How to include civil society in the cybersecurity debate, AsiaGlobal Online, 8 July 2021
- Thinyane, M. & Christine, D. (2020). Co-production of Cyber Resilience in Asia and the Pacific: Abridged Preliminary Report. United Nations University Institute in Macau.
- Christine, D. & Thinyane, M. (2020). Cyber Resilience in Asia Pacific – A Review of National Cybersecurity Strategies, United Nations University Institute in Macau.
- Thinyane, M. & Christine, D (2020). Cyber resilience in the time of COVID-19 and beyond, South China Morning Post, 12 May 2020
- Un, C (2020). It’s time for the Asia-Pacific to move toward regional cyber norms, The Diplomat, 14 October 2020
- Christine, D & Thinyane, M (2020), Building resilience in the time of COVID-19 and beyond, GlobalDev, 19 October 2020
- Christine, D & Thinyane, M (2020). Citizen security must be at the forefront of global dialogues on responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, South China Morning Post, 12 November 2020
ENGAGEMENTS
- Thinyane, M & Christine, D (2020). Invited Panelist “Smart Citizen Cyber Resilience in Asia and Pacific”, Building Digital Resilience for COVID-19 Response and Recovery webinar series by IEEE Standards Association and eWorldwide Group, 14th – 16th April 2020
- Thinyane, M & Christine, D (2020). Invited Panelist “Co-production of Cyber Resilience Beyond COVID-19”, Building Digital Resilience for COVID-19 Response and Recovery webinar series by IEEE Standards Association and eWorldwide Group, 9th July 2020
- Thinyane, M. (2020). Invited Panelist “Marginalization in urban intelligence for healthy and resilient cities”, China Association for Science and Technology – 20th Green Development Innovation Conference, 27th October 2020
- Thinyane, M. (2020) Invited Panelist “Cyber resilience and awareness for society – fostering collaboration with ITU”, ITU Regional Development Forum – Asia Pacific, 4th November 2020
- Thinyane, M. (2020) Invited Panelist “All of Society Cyber Resilience” UNESCAP Experts Group Meeting on Digital connectivity and e-resilience for crisis preparedness, 10th November 2020
IN THE NEWS
- “Local UN institute researchers investigating cybersecurity tools to protect civil society”, Macau Business, 11 July 2020
- “UN institute signs 5-year agreement with Caritas for joint community-driven projects“, Macau Business, 22nd July 2020
- “UNUMACAU and Caritas Macau partner to advance research & capacity building initiatives”, Macau News, 23rd July 2020
- “UNUMACAU and Caritas Macau partner to advance research & capacity building initiatives”, Macau Post Daily, 23rd July 2020
FUNDER
This work is supported by the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macau (FDCT) under Grant No. 0016/2019/A.
PARTNERS
ADDRESSING THE FOLLOWING SDGs
