Cybersecurity Policy and the Legislative Context of the Water and Wastewater Sector in South Africa

Abstract

The water and wastewater sector is an important lifeline upon which other economic sectors depend. Securing the sector’s critical infrastructure is therefore important for any country’s economy. Like many other nations, South Africa has an overarching national cybersecurity strategy aimed at addressing cyber terrorism, cybercriminal activities, cyber vandalism, and cyber sabotage. The aim of this study is to contextualise the water and wastewater sector’s cybersecurity responsibilities within the national cybersecurity legislative and policy environment. This is achieved by conducting a detailed analysis of the international, national and sector cybersecurity stakeholders; legislation and policies; and challenges pertaining to the protection of the water and wastewater sector. The study found some concerning challenges and improvement gaps regarding the complex manner in which the national government is implementing the cybersecurity strategy. The study also found that, along with the National Cybersecurity Policy Framework (the national cybersecurity strategy of South Africa), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, and other supporting legislation and policies make provision for the water and wastewater sector’s computer security incidents response team to be established without the need to propose any new laws or amend existing ones. This is conducive for the immediate development of the sector-specific cybersecurity governance framework and resilience strategy to protect the water and wastewater assets.

Wastewater Based Microbial Biorefinery for Bioenergy Production

“…Water and wastewater treatment is an important lifeline for the economic development of any country, and it is very important to secure these sectors. Malatji et al has provided a report on South Africa's cybersecurity strategy aimed at addressing cyber terrorism and cybercriminal activities [20]. In this study, they found that along with the National Cybersecurity Policy Framework, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, and other supporting legislation, a wastewater sector's computer security incident response team can be established without the need to propose any new laws or amend existing ones.…”

Adapting to Cybersecurity Challenges: Assessing the Effectiveness of International Law Against Cyber Terrorism

“…As an instance, the USA has really developed comprehensive policies including Cybersecurity Improvement Act and Cybersecurity Details Sharing Act, which want to improve cybersecurity treatments and help in details sharing in between public and private sectors Shandler et al (2021). On the contrary, countries like South Africa and United Arab Emirates have really accomplished good operations to avoid cybercrimes & cyberattacks (Malatji & Solms, 2020;Younies & Tawil, 2020). Global nature of cyber hazards better intensifies enforcement difficulties, as collaboration amongst many territories is typically called for.…”

“…This circumstance reveals the significance of readiness and durability in lowering the impact of the cyber assaults. It additionally highlights the requirement for trustworthy synchronization between federal authorities' firms, economic sector bodies, and global partners in responding towards cyber terrorism (Malatji & Solms, 2020). Eventually, the worldwide involvement and collaboration are critical for taking care of the proceeding hazard of cyber violence.…”

Threat Actors’ Tenacity to Disrupt: Examination of Major Cybersecurity Incidents

“…Prior to the occurrence of a significant security attack or during active cybersecurity incident investigation, having the necessary information sharing strategy in place and effectively executing such strategy is very important for ensuring that all parties are kept informed in the prior, during, and post stages of any given cybersecurity incident handling [65], [66], [67], [64], [68], [69]. "Information about threats can improve an organization's situational awareness, expand its understanding of the current threat horizon and increase its defensive agility by improving decision making" [64].…”