[PDI Working Paper No.5] Cybersecurity and Multi-Partyism: Alternative Approaches to Punishment in the Cyber ​​Realm

Jun Mo Kang (Master’s student in Political Science and International Relations, Korea University)

* This paper was presented at Jiam Workshop #3.

Abstract 

With the advent of an “untact” (Konglish compound word meaning no-contact) society, cyber threats are gradually increasing, but discussions on countermeasures are still insufficient. Cyber threats differ from traditional military and security threats due to the specificity of the uncertainty in cyberspace. Because of this particularity, defense-oriented strategies are not only inefficient but also inherently incapable of changing the situation to an offensive advantage. Therefore, this study suggests that attack deterrence by monitoring and punishment, rather than defensive measures, is the solution to the cybersecurity problem. First, we will see that monitoring and punishment are impossible in a single state’s response to cyber threats and that there is a limit to countering threats with a nation-centered multilateral approach. Then, we will consider the effectiveness of a “multi-layered partyism” approach, including state and non-state actors. Through the example of the European Convention on Cybercrime, which emphasizes the role of non-state actors, we will present the conditions for multi-layered partyism to work effectively. Finally, we will suggest an approach where state actors enlist non-state actors and build together an appropriate security network, away from the existing multilateral approach.

Keywords: cybersecurity, non-state actors, deterring attacks through punishment, multi-layered partyism, public-private partnership (PPPs)

Original paper (in Korean): [PDI 워킹페이퍼 No.5] 사이버 안보와 다층적 당사자주의: 사이버 영역에서의 처벌을 위한 대안적 접근법