Confartigianato calls for greater investment in cyber security

Italian businesses are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals. Online scams, phishing, credential theft, unauthorised access to IT systems and data theft threaten the production system and put economic resources, business information and operational continuity at risk. This phenomenon is a consequence of digital transformation and requires companies – particularly small businesses and craft enterprises – to strengthen their cyber defences.

The Confartigianato Research Department provides a snapshot of the scale of the problem: in 2024, there were 312,959 reports of cybercrimes by businesses, accounting for 33.9 per cent of all offences that could potentially affect business operations. In practice, one in three offences threatening businesses is cyber-related.

The most worrying figure emerges from the long-term analysis: between 2019 and 2024, cybercrime rose by 37.1 per cent. And the trend shows no sign of abating. According to forecasts for 2025, cyber scams and fraud targeting businesses have increased by 4.4 per cent compared with 2024.

The most widespread threat is posed precisely by cyber scams and fraud, which account for 91.4 per cent of reported offences. The remaining 8.6 per cent includes unauthorised access to systems, damage to computer equipment and software, and the unlawful disclosure of access codes.

This risk has now become part of everyday life for businesses. According to a European Commission survey, 78 per cent of Italian workers say they have come across suspicious emails, messages or links at work, a figure higher than the EU average of 74 per cent. Phishing is the most common threat (36 per cent), followed by attempts to steal personal data (17 per cent), malware attacks (17 per cent) and password theft (14 per cent).

Faced with this escalation, businesses are increasingly recognising the importance of cyber security, but there is still a long way to go in strengthening corporate defences. And they must contend with a shortage of specialised professionals. In 2025, 78.8 per cent of the professionals required by businesses – such as system designers and administrators, a category that includes experts, specialists and cybersecurity managers – proved difficult to recruit.

This is an issue that directly affects companies’ ability to prevent attacks and manage any incidents. Without the right expertise, even the most advanced technologies risk not being used to their full potential.

In this context, digital businesses provide significant support to the production system. At the end of the first quarter of 2026, according to figures from Confartigianato, there were 112,287 active businesses in the digital services sector, employing 552,000 people. Of these, 13,089 were craft businesses, employing over 19,000 people, which are also active in providing IT services and support for digitalisation.

In light of the rise in cyberattacks, Confartigianato is calling for an increase in resources allocated to cybersecurity and for concrete support for business investment.

“Investing in digital innovation and cyber security,” says Confartigianato President Marco Granelli, “is a strategic choice for business competitiveness and can no longer be postponed. We need simple, easily accessible incentives for craftspeople and SMEs, which are multi-year in nature and capable of supporting not only the purchase of technology, but also training, consultancy and implementation, with a view to preventing the risk of cyber-attacks against businesses. We cannot allow the digital lag to become a weakness for the Italian business sector.”

The message is clear: cybersecurity must become an integral part of corporate investment. For craftspeople and SMEs, protecting data, systems and production processes means safeguarding their work, their customers and their ability to remain competitive in the market. Digitalisation is an opportunity for growth, but without security it risks becoming a new vulnerability for the entire production system.