Innovation and Development of Sovereign Cybersecurity Infrastructure: Global South and East in the Face of Cyberthreats

Introduction

Development of information and communications technologies (ICT) facilitates interaction between people and countries, accelerating data flows and increasing its transmitted volume. According to Statista (Petrosyan, 2025), today, 67.9% of the world population, or approximately 5.5 billion users, are connected to the internet. At the same time, 2.6 billion people, or one third of the global population, have no access to the internet (Kallot, 2025). This data illustrates the scale of ICT penetration even in remote corners of the world. Besides, web usage depends on per capita income: for example, 93% of the citizens in high-income countries are active internet users, while in low-income economies their share is as low as 27% (Petrosyan, 2025).
The internet knows no boundaries as it transcends the barriers of distance and time. State borders become increasingly blurred, emerging disruptive technologies create new challenges in cyberspace, and digitalization is getting more engrained in our daily lives. Progress, however, has its downside. Less technologically developed nations find themselves at a disadvantage to the more advanced peers as countries with insufficient resources and their cyberspace depend on technologies
supplied by others. So “the more dependent and peripheral their position in the physical world, the more dependent and peripheral their position will be in digital or virtual reality.” (Arroyo, 2021-present, 12m 20s).

As a result, technological dependence poses a threat to the national security of countries in the Global South and East. Vulnerable and/or insufficient technological infrastructure to counter cyberattacks makes them an easy target for those seeking to undermine their security in cyberspace.

Nevertheless, new challenges come with new opportunities. The lack of sovereign infrastructure and the massive expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) force people to take a broader view of the problem and find new solutions. Investment in technologies and their application in education along with implementation of innovative programs in strategic sectors can produce a whole new environment where the technology industry will have its own capability to develop the necessary infrastructure for sovereign cybersecurity.


supplied by others. So “the more dependent and peripheral their position in the physical world, the more dependent and peripheral their position will be in digital or virtual reality.” (Arroyo, 2021-present, 12m 20s).

As a result, technological dependence poses a threat to the national security of countries in the Global South and East. Vulnerable and/or insufficient technological infrastructure to counter cyberattacks makes them an easy target for those seeking to undermine their security in cyberspace.

Nevertheless, new challenges come with new opportunities. The lack of sovereign infrastructure and the massive expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) force people to take a broader view of the problem and find new solutions. Investment in technologies and their application in education along with implementation of innovative programs in strategic sectors can produce a whole new environment where the technology industry will have its own capability to develop the necessary infrastructure for sovereign cybersecurity.


Political will and Investment in Cybersecurity: Developing Technologies in the Global South


People around the world spend more time on the web and, as a consequence, are more dependent on services provided by high-tech giants. Information on government and private computers and platforms becomes increasingly vulnerable as governments and international organizations interact extensively through online platforms that are accessible to huge numbers of users.

Therefore, cybersecurity strategies need to be continually reviewed to assess their effectiveness and scope. This process should include technologically disadvantaged nations because cyberspace cuts across all borders and cybercriminals can use vulnerabilities in less protected countries to achieve their objectives in other states. Within the framework of the New Platform for Global Growth, this issue will certainly continue to evolve, changing the international agenda and cre- ating new challenges for decision-makers.

Investing in cybersecurity is equivalent to investing in national security. Relations and engagement between countries rely increasingly on new technologies, while interaction through electronic devices connected to wireless networks are already part of the day-to-day international activities in different areas, such as finance, military operations, water and electricity supply services, and all types of communication.


According to a World Bank report, the number of cyber incidents is growing at 21% a year. This trend is especially prominent in Latin America and the Caribbean where growing cybercrime affects the developing economies (Vergara, 2024). Globally, 30% of cyberattacks target the countries of the Global South, entailing significant economic losses and negative social consequences, such as public distrust of digital services that in turn could lead to political and social instability.

The report also highlights the growth of the global cyberinsurance market, which is estimated to have increased by $14 billion by 2023 and expected to reach

$30 billion by 2027 (Statista, 2025). To narrow the digital divide, the countries of the Global South and East need to focus on education, training and investment, while “maximizing existing resources and leveraging the benefits of Global North models.” (Kallot, 2025).


Conclusions


The integration of AI into cybersecurity systems and rising ransomware cyberattacks pose increasing challenges, especially for countries that do not have legal mechanisms to give confidence to the public and the business. Such countries are the most likely to suffer social and economic damage from cybercriminal activity.

The absence of cooperation instruments that could strengthen nations is another disadvantage, in addition to the lack of investment in development and innovation. However, a holistic approach to investing in national cybersecurity companies as well as putting the issue on the political agenda could be a major step towards significant outcomes, helping to:

•Create regional centers of excellence in cybersecurity based on shared expertise.
•Build a new development and innovation ecosystem in the countries of the Global South and East.
•Create new jobs, preventing brain drain to high-income countries.
•Reduce technological dependence regarding the protection of critical infra- structure.

Although it is an ambitious long-term plan that would not produce any tangible results until much later, it is already important to take joint action involving the academia, public and private sectors, as well as the society at large to build national and regional capabilities that could respond to the global challenges of the future.