Without having their own capabilities and technologies, it is often difficult for developing countries, SA included, to ensure national security or determine their destiny in cyber space.
This was according to Dr Jabu Mtsweni, research group leader for cyber defence at the CSIR, speaking at the ITWeb Security in Finance 2016 event in Johannesburg yesterday.
Mtsweni said although the cyber space is borderless, it is critical to note that each country will be affected by different challenges, and thus their responses need to be guided by these differences.
He noted African countries need to build home grown cyber security capabilities to correctly determine their security.
"One of the biggest challenges in developing countries is that they are too dependent on international companies to provide them with systems and solutions used by both the government and companies to defend against cyber security threats."
In this borderless space, digital differences and divides determine who has strong or weak cyber power, he added. Mtsweni believes those who do not build their own technologies are at the mercy of those who do.
"You see if you are unable to protect yourself you are more or less at the mercy of another guy and normally this is what happens to developing nations.
"Because we don't have our own capabilities and tools, we rely on 'others' to actually protect us, who might have their own hidden agenda. And normally what will happen is we lose our sovereignty and of course cyber power becomes an issue."
Mtshewi said the main culprits for cyber security ills are the organised criminals. However, governments are now also sponsoring them to hack into other nation states' systems and access information that could be damaging, he stated.
And it becomes easier for cyber criminals to hack developing countries and access their data because of the foreign tools and solutions they use, said Mtsweni.
"I am not saying we need to stop buying from overseas, that's the foundation and cannot be just wiped out.
"We are a global community and I'm not advocating that we wipe them out, but there must be a balance, we must have solutions of our own. It will give us the edge in minimising cyber security threats."
He pointed out that SA needs to invest in human capital development - building capacity in terms of people, processes and technologies - because they are the three pillars needed to fight against cyber security threats.
Share