The CSIR aims to engineer systems that protect individuals and institutions from the prevalent dangers posed by cyber risks . The research group for governance, privacy and trust focuses on aligning security, privacy and trust with business objectives, while ensuring compliance with regulations and managing cyber risks. It does this by offering a number of specialised services, such as policy development, security assessments, security and privacy awareness training, as well as privacy and trust-enhancing technologies.

Within the technology, processes and people framework, it is widely accepted that the technology pillar is the most mature, as security technological solutions continue to flood our markets. Therefore, this group specialises in ensuring a holistic approach to cybersecurity, by anchoring the remaining two pillars, namely processes and people. The group is firmly established in the ideal of cultivating a positive culture of security in different contexts within organisations, communities and nations. This is evident in the work that is done with:

• The Cybersecurity Hub – South Africa’s National Computer Security Incident Report Team that is established, supported and operationalised by the CSIR;
• The Network Emulation and Simulation Library – A high-end research infrastructure to model, simulate and research complex network processes and scenarios; and
• EduCyber – An online Cybersecurity Awareness Training Platform.