Local defence and security electronics company Hensoldt South Africa (Hensoldt SA) has highlighted the latest technologies available in these sectors. It did so at the recent 2021 Sovereign Security Conference, held in Pretoria, which the company helped sponsor.

The huge shift from working in the office to working from home, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, had made cyber security even more important, both locally and globally. Criminals, malicious hackers, extremists and terrorists had developed techniques to exploit the contemporary dependence on cyber networks, to steal and to cause disruption and even damage.

On July 22, for example, cyber attacks forced Transnet’s port terminals to stop operations. “This was the first of this type of attacks [sic] on infrastructure in South Africa that was documented in the media,” highlighted Hensoldt SA GEW business unit CE Hennie Venter. “The full after-affect of the situation is still in motion and the total cost of the shutdown not yet available. This has had a major effect on the economy and took place at the same time as the unrest in {KwaZulu-Natal] and Gauteng, worsening the overall impact.”

That unrest also showed the power of social media platforms, as communication means to coordinate actions by the protestors. “For us as providers of intelligence, processing these different sources of data can harness a lot of information allowing deep analysis and also predicting specific actions/reactions before they actually happen,” he pointed out. “Using media mining tools and automated processes that include artificial intelligence, we can foster great value from these online platforms. Connect this also to the radio and media and you have a wealth of data and analytical information.”

A most valuable source of information these days is ‘open source intelligence’ (Osint), which is derived from media reports, social media platforms and even propaganda. Using what is called advanced Osint data, developing situations can be monitored. The case of the insurgency in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province was used as an example.

Other modern technologies could also be abused to create threats. These included wireless communication, Fifth Generation mobile communications technology, the weaponising of commercially-available drones, additive manufacturing (three-dimensional printing) and artificial intelligence.

“We need to invest in the technologies that counter these threats and collaborate to address a diverse and evolving threat environment,” affirmed Venter. “Authorities can use the technologies at their disposal to their advantage to protect our sovereignty.”