A framework for a foundational cyber counterintelligence awareness and skills training programme

Organisations from all sectors are confronted with cyber threats and cyberattacks of increasing sophistication and intensity. Now, even more than before, cyber attackers’ modus operandi includes intelligence collection, espionage and influencing. Unsurprisingly then, conventional defence-only cybersecurity is no longer effective in protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) of information and information systems from these rapidly evolving cyber threats. Consequently, organisations have to evolve the protection of their information and information systems’ CIA by implementing a proactive, approach that incorporates cyber counterintelligence (CCI) at its core. CCI includes both defensive and offensive activities. This approach is not only the purview state actors and their security apparatus, but (with certain qualifications) can significantly benefit the private sector and other non-state actors. Organisations’ successful adoption of CCI depends on the implementation of an effective CCI Awareness and Skills Training (CCI AST) programme. Such a programme’s utility and importance range from providing employees with the knowledge to proactively counter cyber threats; to CCI career pathing that involves the acquisition of more advanced CCI skillset. Despite its importance, there is limited published academic and industry literature on CCI awareness, education and training. This paper proposes a CCI AST framework that could assist organisations - irrespective of nature of business and size - to implement a foundational CCI awareness and skills programme. The CCI AST framework identifies and concisely describes the critical elements (fields of knowledge and skills) indispensable to a foundational CCI awareness and skills programme. The paper then proceeds with outlining the pitch and approach to be followed in transferring knowledge and skills in respect of each of the identified elements. The paper concludes with a summary of findings.