Louise Leenen

2020

Roodt, J. ., Leenen, L. ., & van Vuuren, J. . (2020). Modelling Of The Complex Societal Problem Of Establishing A National Energy Sufficiency Competence . In 23rd International Conference on Information Fusion.

Abstract BibTex Entry BibTeX Download

Complex societal problems require a multi-disciplinary and multi-method approach to develop models that can support the development of solutions. General morphological analysis is a qualitative method to extract information from experts through facilitation and the use of customized software. Ontologies provide semantic representation of knowledge bases together with automated reasoning capabilities. These two approaches, combined with the use of concept maps, provide an integrated approach which can be used to understand complex and ill-structured problem domains and to aid in business modelling, strategy and scenario development and finally, decision-making. The resulting models are subjective constructs reflecting the knowledge and understanding of the analysts. Subsequent synthesis of new understanding and decisions rely on the robust validation and verification of the underlying logic and assumptions of the conceptual models. Morphological Analysis and ontological constructs are applied in terms of an integrated Morphological Ontology Design Engineering methodology (MODE), which is based on Design Science. The paper is developed around the opportunity of scoping the applied research competence required to support a nation’s progress toward energy sufficiency. This paper presents a complex fused model for national energy sufficiency in New Zealand. The approach can be used to address other ill- structured complex societal problems.

@{375,
  author = {JH Roodt and Louise Leenen and Jansen van Vuuren},
  title = {Modelling Of The Complex Societal Problem Of  Establishing A National Energy Sufficiency Competence},
  abstract = {Complex societal problems require a multi-disciplinary and multi-method approach to develop models that can support the development of solutions. General morphological analysis is a qualitative method to extract information from experts through facilitation and the use of customized software. Ontologies provide semantic representation of knowledge bases together with automated reasoning capabilities. These two approaches, combined with the use of concept maps, provide an integrated approach which can be used to understand complex and ill-structured problem domains and to aid in business modelling, strategy and scenario development and finally, decision-making. The resulting models are subjective constructs reflecting the knowledge and understanding of the analysts. Subsequent synthesis of new understanding and decisions rely on the robust validation and verification of the underlying logic and assumptions of the conceptual models. 
Morphological Analysis and ontological constructs are applied in terms of an integrated Morphological Ontology Design Engineering methodology (MODE), which is based on Design Science. The paper is developed around the opportunity of scoping the applied research competence required to support a nation’s progress toward energy sufficiency. This paper presents a complex fused model for national energy sufficiency in New Zealand. The approach can be used to address other ill- structured complex societal problems.},
  year = {2020},
  journal = {23rd International Conference on Information Fusion},
  pages = {880 - 887},
  month = {06/07-09/07},
  isbn = {978-0-578-64709-8},
}

Jafta, Y. ., Leenen, L. ., & Chan, P. . (2020). An Ontology for the South African Protection of Personal Information Act. In The 19th European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security. UK: Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited.

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Jafta_Paper_FinalPaper.pdf

The protection and management of data, and especially personal information, is becoming an issue of critical importance in both the business environment and in general society. Various institutions have justifiable reasons to gather the personal information of individuals but they are required to comply with any legislation involving the processing of such data. Organisations thus face legal and other repercussions should personal information be breached or treated negligently. Most countries have adopted privacy and data protection laws or are in the process of enacting such laws. In South Africa, the Protection of Privacy Information Act (POPIA) was formally adopted in 2013 but it is yet to be implemented. When the implementation of the Act is announced, role players (responsible parties and data subjects) affected by POPIA will have a grace period of a year to become compliant and/or understand how the Act will affect them. One example of a mandate that follows from POPIA is data breach notification. This paper presents the development of a prototype ontology on POPIA to promote transparency and education of affected data subjects and organisations including government departments. The ontology provides a semantic representation of a knowledge base for the regulations in the POPIA and how it affects these role players. The POPIA is closely aligned with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the POPIA ontology is inspired by similar ontologies developed for the GDPR.

@{374,
  author = {Y Jafta and Louise Leenen and P Chan},
  title = {An Ontology for the South African Protection of Personal Information Act},
  abstract = {The protection and management of data, and especially personal information, is becoming an issue of critical importance in both the business environment and in general society. Various institutions have justifiable reasons to gather the personal information of individuals but they are required to comply with any legislation involving the processing of such data. Organisations thus face legal and other repercussions should personal information be breached or treated negligently. Most countries have adopted privacy and data protection laws or are in the process of enacting such laws. In South Africa, the Protection of Privacy Information Act (POPIA) was formally adopted in 2013 but it is yet to be implemented. When the implementation of the Act is announced, role players (responsible parties and data subjects) affected by POPIA will have a grace period of a year to become compliant and/or understand how the Act will affect them. One example of a mandate that follows from POPIA is data breach notification. This paper presents the development of a prototype ontology on POPIA to promote transparency and education of affected data subjects and organisations including government departments. The ontology provides a semantic representation of a knowledge base for the regulations in the POPIA and how it affects these role players. The POPIA is closely aligned with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the POPIA ontology is inspired by similar ontologies developed for the GDPR.},
  year = {2020},
  journal = {The 19th European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security},
  pages = {158 - 176},
  month = {25/06 - 26/06},
  publisher = {Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited},
  address = {UK},
  isbn = {978-1-912764-61-7},
}

van Vuuren, J. ., & Leenen, L. . (2020). Proving It Is the Data That Is Biased, Not the Algorithm Through a Recent South African Online Case Study. Journal of Information Warfare, 19(3).

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In the recent past, some Internet users questioned the reliability of online news, but not necessarily the role of search engines in programming public discourse. In 2018, South African Twitter users accused Google of peddling misinformation when Google Image searches for the phrase “squatter camps in South Africa” displayed images of white squatter camps. Many ana-lysts blamed Google’s algorithm for displaying bias. In this article, the authors use this example in comparing the findings of six different search engines to counter this argument. Search engines that are diverse in their scope and origin are used to prove that is it not the algorithm, but rather the data that is biased.

@article{373,
  author = {Jansen van Vuuren and Louise Leenen},
  title = {Proving It Is the Data That Is Biased, Not the Algorithm Through a Recent South African Online Case Study},
  abstract = {In the recent past, some Internet users questioned the reliability of online news, but not necessarily the role of search engines in programming public discourse. In 2018, South African Twitter users accused Google of peddling misinformation when Google Image searches for the phrase “squatter camps in South Africa” displayed images of white squatter camps. Many ana-lysts blamed Google’s algorithm for displaying bias. In this article, the authors use this example in comparing the findings of six different search engines to counter this argument. Search engines that are diverse in their scope and origin are used to prove that is it not the algorithm, but rather the data that is biased.},
  year = {2020},
  journal = {Journal of Information Warfare},
  volume = {19},
  pages = {118-129},
  issue = {3},
  publisher = {Peregrine Technical Solutions},
  address = {Virginia, USA},
  isbn = {1445-3312},
}

van Vuuren, J. ., Leenen, L. ., & Pieterse, P. . (2020). Development and Implementation of Cybercrime Strategies in Africa with Specific Reference to South Africa. Journal of Information Warfare, 19(3).

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Cybercrime is increasing at a rate few individuals would have predicted. IBM estimated in 2016 that, in 2019, the cost of cybercrime would reach $2 trillion, a threefold increase from the 2015 estimate of $500 billion. The growth of the Internet and the rapid development of technology provide enormous economic and social benefits but at the same time provide platforms for cybercriminals to exploit. Organised crime is using more sophisticated techniques, which require highly skilled and specialised law enforcement responses. One example is the use of cryptocurrencies, which makes it easier for cybercriminals to hide their proceeds. Regulatory measures often lag behind. In this paper, the authors give an overview of the growing threat of cybercrime with a specific focus on high levels of cybercrime in Africa. The focus then turns to the development of national cybercrime strategies and implementation. Results from literature and the authors’ analyses of two cyber indices to measure the capabilities and capacities of countries are combined to present a framework for the development of a cybercrime strategy, and in particular, a strategy customised for African countries.

@article{372,
  author = {Jansen van Vuuren and Louise Leenen and P Pieterse},
  title = {Development and Implementation of Cybercrime Strategies in Africa with Specific Reference to South Africa},
  abstract = {Cybercrime is increasing at a rate few individuals would have predicted. IBM estimated in 2016 that, in 2019, the cost of cybercrime would reach $2 trillion, a threefold increase from the 2015 estimate of $500 billion. The growth of the Internet and the rapid development of technology provide enormous economic and social benefits but at the same time provide platforms for cybercriminals to exploit. Organised crime is using more sophisticated techniques, which require highly skilled and specialised law enforcement responses. One example is the use of cryptocurrencies, which makes it easier for cybercriminals to hide their proceeds. Regulatory measures often lag behind.
In this paper, the authors give an overview of the growing threat of cybercrime with a specific focus on high levels of cybercrime in Africa. The focus then turns to the development of national cybercrime strategies and implementation. Results from literature and the authors’ analyses of two cyber indices to measure the capabilities and capacities of countries are combined to present a framework for the development of a cybercrime strategy, and in particular, a strategy customised for African countries.},
  year = {2020},
  journal = {Journal of Information Warfare},
  volume = {19},
  pages = {83 - 101},
  issue = {3},
  publisher = {Peregrine Technical Solutions},
  address = {Virginia, USA},
  isbn = {1445-3312},
}

Ramluckan, T. ., van Niekerk, B. ., & Leenen, L. . (2020). Cybersecurity and Information Warfare Research in South Africa: Challenges and Proposed Solutions. Journal of Information Warfare, 19(1).

Abstract BibTex Entry BibTeX Download

Cybersecurity is often incorrectly assumed to be a purely technical field; however, there are numerous multidisciplinary aspects, such as, for example, human factors, legal, and governance issues. The broad scope, combined with other historical or bureaucratic factors, can provide challenges to researchers and students where appropriate methodologies do not necessarily conform to traditional disciplinary norms; prejudice against research approaches can occur as a result of ‘old school thought’. This paper aims to investigate the South African national and institutional perspectives for higher education and research, identify challenges, and propose solutions to facilitate multidisciplinary research into cybersecurity and Information Warfare (IW) in South Africa.

@article{371,
  author = {T Ramluckan and B van Niekerk and Louise Leenen},
  title = {Cybersecurity and Information Warfare Research in South Africa: Challenges and Proposed Solutions},
  abstract = {Cybersecurity is often incorrectly assumed to be a purely technical field; however, there are numerous multidisciplinary aspects, such as, for example, human factors, legal, and governance issues. The broad scope, combined with other historical or bureaucratic factors, can provide challenges to researchers and students where appropriate methodologies do not necessarily conform to traditional disciplinary norms; prejudice against research approaches can occur as a result of ‘old school thought’. This paper aims to investigate the South African national and institutional perspectives for higher education and research, identify challenges, and propose solutions to facilitate multidisciplinary research into cybersecurity and Information Warfare (IW) in South Africa.},
  year = {2020},
  journal = {Journal of Information Warfare},
  volume = {19},
  pages = {80-95},
  issue = {1},
  publisher = {Peregrine Technical Solutions},
  address = {Virginia, USA},
  isbn = {ISSN 1445-3312},
}

2019

van Vuuren, J. J., Leenen, L. ., & Pieterse, P. . (2019). Framework for the development and implementation of a cybercrime strategy in Africa. In International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ICCWS). Stellenbosch.

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Framework for the development and Implementation of a cybercrime strategy in Africa 9_Final.pdf

With the development of ICT and the Internet there was barely any inclination that it could transform itself into a pervading revolution which could be misused for criminal activities. Cybercrime is increasing more rapidly than expected. IBM estimated in 2016 that by 2019 the global cost of cybercrime will reach $2 trillion, a threefold increase from the 2015 estimate of $500 billion. Organised crime is using cyber platforms in a much more sophisticated way that requires a highly skilled and specialised law enforcement response. Cryptocurrencies creates the opportunity for criminals to hide proceeds and the use of cryptocurrency mining malware is resulting in cybercriminals believing they are cashing in on unprecedented successes of these currencies. Regulatory has to be updated to effectively respond to unlawful activities relating to cybercrime. A holistic approach must be used by governments to develop a strategy and implementation plan to address the phenomenon of cybercrime for law enforcement. Currently most African countries address cybercrime in an uncoordinated and fragmented way. This paper presents a framework for African countries to develop and implement a national cybercrime strategy.

@{270,
  author = {J.C van Vuuren and Louise Leenen and P Pieterse},
  title = {Framework for the development and implementation of a cybercrime strategy in Africa},
  abstract = {With the development of ICT and the Internet there was barely any inclination that it could transform itself into a pervading revolution which could be misused for criminal activities. Cybercrime is increasing more rapidly than expected. IBM estimated in 2016 that by 2019 the global cost of cybercrime will reach $2 trillion, a threefold increase from the 2015 estimate of $500 billion. Organised crime is using cyber platforms in a much more sophisticated way that requires a highly skilled and specialised law enforcement response. Cryptocurrencies creates the opportunity for criminals to hide proceeds and the use of cryptocurrency mining malware is resulting in cybercriminals believing they are cashing in on unprecedented successes of these currencies. Regulatory has to be updated to effectively respond to unlawful activities relating to cybercrime. A holistic approach must be used by governments to develop a strategy and implementation plan to address the phenomenon of cybercrime for law enforcement.  Currently most African countries address cybercrime in an uncoordinated and fragmented way. This paper presents a framework for African countries to develop and implement a national cybercrime strategy.},
  year = {2019},
  journal = {International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ICCWS)},
  month = {28/02 - 1/03},
  address = {Stellenbosch},
}

Leenen, L. ., van Heerden, A. ., Ngcingwana, P. ., & Masole, L. . (2019). A Model to Select a Leadership Approach for a Diverse Team. In European Conference on Business and Management Studies (ECRM). Johannesburg . http://doi.org/doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.34190/RM.19.110

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Leenen_DiverseLeadershipModel.pdf

The modern day workforce is more likely to be diverse and it is imperative for managers to be aware of the influence diversity has on leadership in their organisations. An effective leadership approach should take the diversity of a work team in terms of culture, age, gender, ethnicity and other factors into account. Although there are studies on the effect of national cultures on leadership and decision-making, many modern organisations employ an international workforce. This paper presents research on a methodology to build a decision model to support the selection of an appropriate leadership approach for a diverse team based on the composition of the team. The method to build such a decision model is based on Saaty’s well-known Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) (Saaty J. , 1990) for solving multi-criteria decision problems. AHP allows an optimal trade-off among the criteria based on the judgments of experts in the problem area. In this paper, AHP is extended to incorporate a diversity profile of the team into the decision problem. Although there are many studies on effective leadership styles, there is very limited research on the selection of an effective leadership style for a specific team. The focus of this research is on a methodology to construct a decision model for this problem and not on the social science of diversity and its influence on employees and leaders. An example is included to show how this model building methodology can be used in practice. The next phase of this research will be to populate and automate the model based on results from research on diversity and leadership.

@{269,
  author = {Louise Leenen and A van Heerden and Phelela Ngcingwana and L Masole},
  title = {A Model to Select a Leadership Approach for a Diverse Team},
  abstract = {The modern day workforce is more likely to be diverse and it is imperative for managers to be aware of the influence diversity has on leadership in their organisations. An effective leadership approach should take the diversity of a work team in terms of culture, age, gender, ethnicity and other factors into account. Although there are studies on the effect of national cultures on leadership and decision-making, many modern organisations employ an international workforce.  
This paper presents research on a methodology to build a decision model to support the selection of an appropriate leadership approach for a diverse team based on the composition of the team. The method to build such a decision model is based on Saaty’s well-known Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) (Saaty J. , 1990) for solving multi-criteria decision problems. AHP allows an optimal trade-off among the criteria based on the judgments of experts in the problem area. In this paper, AHP is extended to incorporate a diversity profile of the team into the decision problem.  
Although there are many studies on effective leadership styles, there is very limited research on the selection of an effective leadership style for a specific team. The focus of this research is on a methodology to construct a decision model for this problem and not on the social science of diversity and its influence on employees and leaders. An example is included to show how this model building methodology can be used in practice. The next phase of this research will be to populate and automate the model based on results from research on diversity and leadership.},
  year = {2019},
  journal = {European Conference on Business and Management Studies (ECRM)},
  month = {21/06 - 22/06},
  address = {Johannesburg},
  doi = {doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.34190/RM.19.110},
}

Leenen, L. ., & van Vuuren, J. J. (2019). Framework for the Cultivation of a Military Cybersecurity Culture. In International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ICCWS). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336605506_Framework_for_the_Cultivation_of_a_Military_Cybersecurity_Culture

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Framework for the cultivation of a Military Cybersecurity Culture FinalJan2019 .pdf

Most military forces recognise the importance and the challenges of cyber as an operational domain. In addition to specialised cyber units, cyber is present in every division and arms of service as a result the military face increasing risks from cyber threats. It is thus crucial to establish and maintain a capability to ensure cybersecurity. Most organisations purchase and use technical controls to counter cyber threats, but users are considered the weakest link in maintaining cybersecurity, even if they are cyber aware. The cultivation of a cybersecurity culture has been shown to be the best approach to address human behaviour in the cyber domain. The development and fostering of an organisational cybersecurity culture is receiving increasing attention. This paper gives an overview of existing frameworks and guidelines in this regard and applies these approaches to the military environment. The military environment differs markedly from a business environment in terms of the nature of their work and traditional military culture. The paper proposes a framework for a military force to cultivate and foster a cybersecurity culture within the traditional military culture. This framework has to be tested in a military environment.

@{267,
  author = {Louise Leenen and J.C van Vuuren},
  title = {Framework for the Cultivation of a Military Cybersecurity Culture},
  abstract = {Most military forces recognise the importance and the challenges of cyber as an operational domain. In addition to specialised cyber units, cyber is present in every division and arms of service as a result the military face increasing risks from cyber threats. It is thus crucial to establish and maintain a capability to ensure cybersecurity. Most organisations purchase and use technical controls to counter cyber threats, but users are considered the weakest link in maintaining cybersecurity, even if they are cyber aware.  The cultivation of a cybersecurity culture has been shown to be the best approach to address human behaviour in the cyber domain. The development and fostering of an organisational cybersecurity culture is receiving increasing attention. This paper gives an overview of existing frameworks and guidelines in this regard and applies these approaches to the military environment. The military environment differs markedly from a business environment in terms of the nature of their work and traditional military culture. The paper proposes a framework for a military force to cultivate and foster a cybersecurity culture within the traditional military culture. This framework has to be tested in a military environment.},
  year = {2019},
  journal = {International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ICCWS)},
  month = {28/02 - 1/03},
  url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336605506_Framework_for_the_Cultivation_of_a_Military_Cybersecurity_Culture},
}

Ramluckan, T. ., van Niekerk, B. ., & Leenen, L. . (2019). Research Challenges for Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare: A South African Perspective. In European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ECCWS). Portugal. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334327321_Research_Challenges_for_Cybersecurity_and_Cyberwarfare_A_South_African_Perspective

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EWS-092-Research Challenges for Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare_updated_final.pdf

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018: 6) states that “cyber capability should now be seen as a key aspect of some states’ coercive power ... This has driven some European states to re-examine their industrial, political, social and economic vulnerabilities, influence operations and information warfare, as well as more traditional areas of military power.” Cybersecurity is often incorrectly assumed to be a purely technical field, however there are numerous multidisciplinary aspects. The very nature of cybersecurity and operations in cyberspace is disruptive, and this is true for many disciplines attempting to introduce cybersecurity research into their offerings. This can provide challenges to researchers and students where methodologies that do not necessarily follow disciplinary norms are prejudiced against by old-school thought. Foundational understanding of concepts may also hinder multi-disciplinary research, as specific terminology that is used in cybersecurity may be considered colloquial or have different meanings in other disciplinary settings. The experimental, observational and mathematical research methodologies often employed by computer scientists do not address the political or legal aspects of cybersecurity research. Research methods for cybersecurity generally apply and teach the limited scientific methods for creating new knowledge, validating theories, and providing some critical insights into to the cybersecurity arena. This paper aims to investigate the South African national and institutional perspectives for higher education and research, identify challenges, and propose interventions to facilitate multidisciplinary research into cybersecurity and cyberwarfare in South Africa. Legislature and policies, organisational structures, processes, resources, and historical and socio-economic factors will be discussed as to the influence on cybersecurity research. A review and analysis of international efforts for multidisciplinary research in higher education institutions will provide for a basis to propose a framework for South African higher education institutions to effectively implement cybersecurity research.

@{266,
  author = {Trishana Ramluckan and Brett van Niekerk and Louise Leenen},
  title = {Research Challenges for Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare: A South African Perspective},
  abstract = {The International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018: 6) states that “cyber capability should now be seen as a key aspect of some states’ coercive power ... This has driven some European states to re-examine their industrial, political, social and economic vulnerabilities, influence operations and information warfare, as well as more traditional areas of military power.” Cybersecurity is often incorrectly assumed to be a purely technical field, however there are numerous multidisciplinary aspects. The very nature of cybersecurity and operations in cyberspace is disruptive, and this is true for many disciplines attempting to introduce cybersecurity research into their offerings. This can provide challenges to researchers and students where methodologies that do not necessarily follow disciplinary norms are prejudiced against by old-school thought. Foundational understanding of concepts may also hinder multi-disciplinary research, as specific terminology that is used in cybersecurity may be considered colloquial or have different meanings in other disciplinary settings. The experimental, observational and mathematical research methodologies often employed by computer scientists do not address the political or legal aspects of cybersecurity research. Research methods for cybersecurity generally apply and teach the limited scientific methods for creating new knowledge, validating theories, and providing some critical insights into to the cybersecurity arena. This paper aims to investigate the South African national and institutional perspectives for higher education and research, identify challenges, and propose interventions to facilitate multidisciplinary research into cybersecurity and cyberwarfare in South Africa. Legislature and policies, organisational structures, processes, resources, and historical and socio-economic factors will be discussed as to the influence on cybersecurity research. A review and analysis of international efforts for multidisciplinary research in higher education institutions will provide for a basis to propose a framework for South African higher education institutions to effectively implement cybersecurity research.},
  year = {2019},
  journal = {European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ECCWS)},
  month = {04/07 - 05/07},
  address = {Portugal},
  url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334327321_Research_Challenges_for_Cybersecurity_and_Cyberwarfare_A_South_African_Perspective},
}

Leenen, L. ., & Meyer, T. . (2019). Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics in Support of Cyber Defense. In Developments in Information Security and Cybernetic Wars. United States of America: Information Science Reference, IGI Global. http://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8304-2.ch002

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2019-CyberWar-Chapter_1.pdf

Cybersecurity analysts rely on vast volumes of security event data to predict, identify, characterize, and deal with security threats. These analysts must understand and make sense of these huge datasets in order to discover patterns which lead to intelligent decision making and advance warnings of possible threats, and this ability requires automation. Big data analytics and artificial intelligence can improve cyber defense. Big data analytics methods are applied to large data sets that contain different data types. The purpose is to detect patterns, correlations, trends, and other useful information. Artificial intelligence provides algorithms that can reason or learn and improve their behavior, and includes semantic technologies. A large number of automated systems are currently based on syntactic rules which are generally not sophisticated enough to deal with the level of complexity in this domain. An overview of artificial intelligence and big data technologies in cyber defense is provided, and important areas for future research are identified and discussed.

@inbook{220,
  author = {Louise Leenen and Tommie Meyer},
  title = {Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics in Support of Cyber Defense},
  abstract = {Cybersecurity analysts rely on vast volumes of security event data to predict, identify, characterize, and deal with security threats. These analysts must understand and make sense of these huge datasets in order to discover patterns which lead to intelligent decision making and advance warnings of possible threats, and this ability requires automation. Big data analytics and artificial intelligence can improve cyber defense. Big data analytics methods are applied to large data sets that contain different data types. The purpose is to detect patterns, correlations, trends, and other useful information. Artificial intelligence provides algorithms that can reason or learn and improve their behavior, and includes semantic technologies. A large number of automated systems are currently based on syntactic rules which are generally not sophisticated enough to deal with the level of complexity in this domain. An overview of artificial intelligence and big data technologies in cyber defense is provided, and important areas for future research are identified and discussed.},
  year = {2019},
  journal = {Developments in Information Security and Cybernetic Wars},
  pages = {42 - 63},
  publisher = {Information Science Reference, IGI Global},
  address = {United States of America},
  isbn = {9781522583042},
  doi = {10.4018/978-1-5225-8304-2.ch002},
}

2018

Meyer, T. ., & Leenen, L. . (2018). Semantic Technologies and Big Data Analytics for Cyber Defence. In Information Retrieval and Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. IGI Global. Retrieved from https://researchspace.csir.co.za/dspace/bitstream/handle/10204/8932/Leenen_2016.pdf?sequence=1

Abstract BibTex Entry BibTeX Download PDF

Semantic Technologies and Big Data Analytics for Cyber Defence.pdf

The Governments, military forces and other organisations responsible for cybersecurity deal with vast amounts of data that has to be understood in order to lead to intelligent decision making. Due to the vast amounts of information pertinent to cybersecurity, automation is required for processing and decision making, specifically to present advance warning of possible threats. The ability to detect patterns in vast data sets, and being able to understanding the significance of detected patterns are essential in the cyber defence domain. Big data technologies supported by semantic technologies can improve cybersecurity, and thus cyber defence by providing support for the processing and understanding of the huge amounts of information in the cyber environment. The term big data analytics refers to advanced analytic techniques such as machine learning, predictive analysis, and other intelligent processing techniques applied to large data sets that contain different data types. The purpose is to detect patterns, correlations, trends and other useful information. Semantic technologies is a knowledge representation paradigm where the meaning of data is encoded separately from the data itself. The use of semantic technologies such as logicbased systems to support decision making is becoming increasingly popular. However, most automated systems are currently based on syntactic rules. These rules are generally not sophisticated enough to deal with the complexity of decisions required to be made. The incorporation of semantic information allows for increased understanding and sophistication in cyber defence systems. This paper argues that both big data analytics and semantic technologies are necessary to provide counter measures against cyber threats. An overview of the use of semantic technologies and big data technologies in cyber defence is provided, and important areas for future research in the combined domains are discussed.

@inbook{206,
  author = {Tommie Meyer and Louise Leenen},
  title = {Semantic Technologies and Big Data Analytics for Cyber Defence},
  abstract = {The Governments, military forces and other organisations responsible for cybersecurity deal with vast amounts of data that has to be understood in order to lead to intelligent decision making. Due to the vast amounts of information pertinent to cybersecurity, automation is required for processing and decision making, specifically to present advance warning of possible threats. The ability to detect patterns in vast data sets, and being able to understanding the significance of detected patterns are essential in the cyber defence domain. Big data technologies supported by semantic technologies can improve cybersecurity, and thus cyber defence by providing support for the processing and understanding of the huge amounts of information in the cyber environment.

The term big data analytics refers to advanced analytic techniques such as machine learning, predictive analysis, and other intelligent processing techniques applied to large data sets that contain different data types. The purpose is to detect patterns, correlations, trends and other useful information. Semantic technologies is a knowledge representation paradigm where the meaning of data is encoded separately from the data itself. The use of semantic technologies such as logicbased systems to support decision making is becoming increasingly popular. However, most automated systems are currently based on syntactic rules. These rules are generally not sophisticated enough to deal with the complexity of decisions required to be made. The incorporation of semantic information allows for increased understanding and sophistication in cyber defence systems.

This paper argues that both big data analytics and semantic technologies are necessary to provide counter measures against cyber threats. An overview of the use of semantic technologies and big data technologies in cyber defence is provided, and important areas for future research in the combined domains are discussed.},
  year = {2018},
  journal = {Information Retrieval and Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications},
  pages = {1375-1388},
  publisher = {IGI Global},
  isbn = {9781522551911},
  url = {https://researchspace.csir.co.za/dspace/bitstream/handle/10204/8932/Leenen_2016.pdf?sequence=1},
}

2016

Leenen, L. ., & Meyer, T. . (2016). Semantic Technologies and Big Data: Analytics for Cyber Defence. International Journal of Cyber Warfare and Terrorism, 6(3).

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viewcomplimentarytitle.pdf

The Governments, military forces and other organisations responsible for cybersecurity deal with vast amounts of data that has to be understood in order to lead to intelligent decision making. Due to the vast amounts of information pertinent to cybersecurity, automation is required for processing and decision making, specifically to present advance warning of possible threats. The ability to detect patterns in vast data sets, and being able to understanding the significance of detected patterns are essential in the cyber defence domain. Big data technologies supported by semantic technologies can improve cybersecurity, and thus cyber defence by providing support for the processing and understanding of the huge amounts of information in the cyber environment. The term big data analytics refers to advanced analytic techniques such as machine learning, predictive analysis, and other intelligent processing techniques applied to large data sets that contain different data types. The purpose is to detect patterns, correlations, trends and other useful information. Semantic technologies is a knowledge representation paradigm where the meaning of data is encoded separately from the data itself. The use of semantic technologies such as logic-based systems to support decision making is becoming increasingly popular. However, most automated systems are currently based on syntactic rules. These rules are generally not sophisticated enough to deal with the complexity of decisions required to be made. The incorporation of semantic information allows for increased understanding and sophistication in cyber defence systems. This paper argues that both big data analytics and semantic technologies are necessary to provide counter measures against cyber threats. An overview of the use of semantic technologies and big data technologies in cyber defence is provided, and important areas for future research in the combined domains are discussed.

@article{229,
author = {Louise Leenen and Tommie Meyer},
title = {Semantic Technologies and Big Data: Analytics for Cyber Defence},
abstract = {The Governments, military forces and other organisations responsible for cybersecurity deal with
vast amounts of data that has to be understood in order to lead to intelligent decision making. Due
to the vast amounts of information pertinent to cybersecurity, automation is required for processing
and decision making, specifically to present advance warning of possible threats. The ability to detect
patterns in vast data sets, and being able to understanding the significance of detected patterns are
essential in the cyber defence domain. Big data technologies supported by semantic technologies
can improve cybersecurity, and thus cyber defence by providing support for the processing and
understanding of the huge amounts of information in the cyber environment. The term big data
analytics refers to advanced analytic techniques such as machine learning, predictive analysis, and
other intelligent processing techniques applied to large data sets that contain different data types. The
purpose is to detect patterns, correlations, trends and other useful information. Semantic technologies
is a knowledge representation paradigm where the meaning of data is encoded separately from the
data itself. The use of semantic technologies such as logic-based systems to support decision making
is becoming increasingly popular. However, most automated systems are currently based on syntactic
rules. These rules are generally not sophisticated enough to deal with the complexity of decisions
required to be made. The incorporation of semantic information allows for increased understanding and
sophistication in cyber defence systems. This paper argues that both big data analytics and semantic
technologies are necessary to provide counter measures against cyber threats. An overview of the
use of semantic technologies and big data technologies in cyber defence is provided, and important
areas for future research in the combined domains are discussed.},
year = {2016},
journal = {International Journal of Cyber Warfare and Terrorism},
volume = {6},
issue = {3},
}

2011

Leenen, L. ., Alberts, R. ., Britz, K. ., Gerber, A. ., & Meyer, T. . (2011). Developing a Knowledge System for Information Operations. In 6th International Conference on Information Warfare and Security. Washington D.C., United States of America. http://doi.org/10204/4951

Abstract BibTex Entry BibTeX Download PDF

Leenen1_2011.pdf

In this paper we describe a research project to develop an optimal information retrieval system in an Information Operations domain. Information Operations is the application and management of information to gain an advantage over an opponent and to defend one’s own interests. Corporations, governments, and military forces are facing increasing exposure to strategic information-based actions. Most national defence and security organisations regard Information Operations as both a defensive and offensive tool, and some commercial institutions are also starting to recognise the value of Information Operations. An optimal information retrieval system should have the capability to extract relevant and reasonably complete information from different electronic data sources which should decrease information overload. Information should be classified in a way such that it can be searched and extracted effectively. The authors of this paper have completed an initial phase in the investigation and design of a knowledge system that can be used to extract relevant and complete knowledge for the planning and execution of Information Operations. During this initial phase of the project, we performed a needs analysis and problem analysis and our main finding is the recommendation of the use of logic-based ontologies: it has the advantage of an unambiguous semantics, facilitates intelligent search, provides an optimal trade-off between expressivity and complexity, and yields optimal recall of information. The risk of adopting this technology is its status as an emerging technology and therefore we include recommendations for the development of a prototype system.

@{465,
  author = {Louise Leenen and Ronell Alberts and Katarina Britz and Aurona Gerber and Tommie Meyer},
  title = {Developing a Knowledge System for Information Operations},
  abstract = {In this paper we describe a research project to develop an optimal information retrieval system in an Information Operations domain. Information Operations is the application and management of information to gain an advantage over an opponent and to defend one’s own interests. Corporations, governments, and military forces are facing increasing exposure to strategic information-based actions. Most national defence and security organisations regard Information Operations as both a defensive and offensive tool, and some commercial institutions are also starting to recognise the value of Information Operations. An optimal information retrieval system should have the capability to extract relevant and reasonably complete information from different electronic data sources which should decrease information overload. Information should be classified in a way such that it can be searched and extracted effectively. The authors of this paper have completed an initial phase in the investigation and design of a knowledge system that can be used to extract relevant and complete knowledge for the planning and execution of Information Operations. During this initial phase of the project, we performed a needs analysis and problem analysis and our main finding is the recommendation of the use of logic-based ontologies: it has the advantage of an unambiguous semantics, facilitates intelligent search, provides an optimal trade-off between expressivity and complexity, and yields optimal recall of information. The risk of adopting this technology is its status as an emerging technology and therefore we include recommendations for the development of a prototype system.},
  year = {2011},
  journal = {6th International Conference on Information Warfare and Security},
  month = {17/03-18/03},
  address = {Washington D.C., United States of America},
  isbn = {978-1-906638-93-1},
  doi = {10204/4951},
}