Short Course: Cyber Operations and International Law

Course Details

Offensive cyber operations continue to draw significant attention in mainstream media and political discourse as the targeting of systems such as those relating to critical national infrastructure remain a major concern for states and the private sector alike. This course is designed to tackle the most pressing questions and issues relating to the application of international law to cyberspace by examining the attributes of cyber operations to understand the challenges they pose for existing frameworks of international law.

The course deals substantively with underlying normative issues concerning the application of international law to cyber operations in an accessible manner with sessions that are grounded in practical case studies. The course covers different views on the relationship between the principle of sovereignty and cyber operations, including discussion of relevant corollary rules and obligations of conduct, and extends to include consideration of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The course begins with a general introduction to cybersecurity and concludes with a discussion of alternative approaches to cyber governance.

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Understand underlying issues of cybersecurity, different kinds of cyber operations and the challenges they present for international law
• Understand different views on the principle of sovereignty and its relationship with cyber operations
• Understand debates among states and commentators over key areas of contention in the application of international law to cyber operations
• Be able to take a real or hypothetical cyber-scenario and identify relevant legal rules or principles that are implicated
• Gain a general understanding of the rules and principles of international law covered by the course that is beneficial beyond the cyber-context

 
Indicative course topics:

• Introduction to cybersecurity and international law
• International human rights law and cyber operations
• The principle of sovereignty and cyber operations
• Due diligence obligations and cyber operations
• Cyber operations, non-intervention, use of force and countermeasures
• International humanitarian law and cyber operations
• Alternative regional approaches to cyber governance

Course leader

Dr Jack Kenny, Visiting Fellow, British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) and Lecturer, University of Manchester.

Who is the course for?

The course is suitable for a wide range of participants interested in the application of public international law to cyber operations, including government representatives, NGO representatives, legal practitioners, in-house counsel, academics, students and other professionals. The course is intended to be relevant and accessible to lawyers and non-lawyers alike.

Course format

The virtual course format will consist of a series of 8 sessions in which live (synchronous) teaching is offered via Zoom. Participants will be able to interact with the tutors and amongst themselves on screen. 

Testimonial from past attendee

'The course was a very helpful resource in enhancing our Department's capacity in this area and I would strongly recommend it to any government lawyers involved in cyber-related work.'
Carl Grainger, Legal Counsellor, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland.

Training scholarships

We are delighted to be able to offer scholarships designed to enable individuals from communities currently under-represented in the legal field to access our world-class courses and benefit from unparalleled learning experiences.

Scholarships are aimed at 3 categories: individuals from communities and backgrounds that are under-represented in the legal field in the UK and abroad; individuals who have recently received a needs-based bursary from their university or further-education college and representatives from Small Charities, NGOs, and Community-Based Organisations.

Applications for training scholarships must be received at least three weeks ahead of the course start date (26 March 2026). Applications must be made via the online form and applications received via any other means will not be considered.

Find out more about training scholarships 

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