Course in International Regulation of Cyber Weapons
Online 300-hour course in international regulation of cyber weapons. 6 modules covering the UN Charter, articles 2.4 and 51, the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I, and MITRE ATT&CK Navigator. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
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What you will be able to do
Understand the legal problems raised by state cyber operations.
Apply the principles of sovereignty, non-intervention and the prohibition on the use of force to cyberspace.
Analyse the application of international humanitarian law to cyber operations.
Interpret export controls on intrusion software.
Evaluate the mechanisms of attribution and international responsibility.
Examine the norms of responsible behaviour agreed at the United Nations.
Prepare a legal analysis of an international cyber incident.
Who it's for
- Cybersecurity legal adviser who wants to specialise in international regulation of cyber weapons.
- International cyber policy analyst who wants to specialise in international regulation of cyber weapons.
- Researcher in cyberspace law who wants to specialise in international regulation of cyber weapons.
- Technology export compliance officer who wants to specialise in international regulation of cyber weapons.
- Threat intelligence analyst who wants to specialise in international regulation of cyber weapons.
- Digital governance consultant who wants to specialise in international regulation of cyber weapons.
- Graduates in engineering or science who want to move into public administration and diplomacy.
What you'll work with
- UN Charter, articles 2.4 and 51
- Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I
- Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (2001)
- Wassenaar Arrangement (intrusion software)
- Regulation (EU) 2021/821 (control of dual-use items)
- UN GGE report on cybersecurity (A/70/174, 2015)
- Tallinn Manual 2.0 (doctrinal reference)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Difficulty of defining a cyber weapon1.2Distinction between tool, capability and effect1.3Reversibility of harm and its legal relevance1.4Attribution and its evidential difficulty1.5State actors and proxies1.6Applicable sources of international law1.7Multilateral processes at the United Nations1.8Voluntary norms of responsible behaviour1.9Legal and technical vocabulary1.10Exercise: legally classifying three incidents
2.1Sovereignty applied to cyberspace2.2Violation of sovereignty and its thresholds2.3Principle of non-intervention2.4Use of force and its threshold in cyberspace2.5Armed attack and self-defence2.6Proportionality and necessity of the response2.7Countermeasures and their lawfulness2.8State due diligence2.9State responsibility for acts of third parties2.10Practice: opinion on a state response
3.1Application of the law of armed conflict3.2Concept of attack in cyberspace3.3Military objectives and civilian objects3.4Critical infrastructure and dual use3.5Precautions in attack3.6Prohibition of indiscriminate attacks3.7Protection of data and medical objects3.8Legal review of new capabilities3.9Individual and command responsibility3.10Practice: analysis of a conflict scenario
4.1Analogies and limits with classic arms control4.2Applicable export control regimes4.3Intrusion tools and their control4.4Vulnerability market and its regulation4.5Coordinated disclosure versus stockpiling4.6Verification: why it is so difficult4.7Confidence-building measures between states4.8Sanctions and public attribution4.9Proposals for binding instruments4.10Practice: designing a confidence-building measure
5.1International judicial cooperation5.2Cybercrime Convention and its protocol5.3Role of the private sector and platforms5.4Protection of critical infrastructure5.5Applicable European regulation5.6Codes of ethics for security professionals5.7Academic research and responsible publication5.8Objection and internal channels5.9Foreseeable regulatory agenda5.10Practice: code of conduct for a technical team
6.1Choice of an incident or a policy6.2Reconstruction of the relevant facts6.3Analysis of the applicable legal framework6.4Reasoned legal classification6.5Analysis of response options6.6Proposal of governance measures6.7Transparency and confidence-building measures6.8Recommendations for the professional6.9Analysis report6.10Defence of the work
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable materials, recorded lectures and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine study with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is MITRE ATT&CK Navigator, OpenCTI, Zotero, NVivo, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies are worked through using real procedures from international cyber incidents, attribution and legal response exercises, and multilateral negotiation simulations. Assessment is continuous per module, plus the final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Understand the legal problems raised by state cyber operations.
Apply the principles of sovereignty, non-intervention and the prohibition on the use of force to cyberspace.
Analyse the application of international humanitarian law to cyber operations.
Interpret export controls on intrusion software.
Evaluate the mechanisms of attribution and international responsibility.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow technical regulatory reading.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
The course works with MITRE ATT&CK Navigator, OpenCTI, Zotero and NVivo. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates a free alternative where one exists.
A SEIUM own diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrative project. It is in-house training, not an official Ministry qualification.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the advanced programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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