Minniti says: “We need an intelligence service dedicated to cyber security. Anyone who works against this is not acting in the country’s best interests.”

“To tackle the new cyber threat, we need unity and collaboration that transcends political divides. We must continue along this path, drawing strength from a cultural heritage that saw the Christian Democrats and the Italian Communist Party working together against domestic terrorism. Anyone who fails to live up to this history – which is our history – is not acting in the country’s best interests. We need an intelligence structure dedicated to cyber security.” Marco Minniti, president of the Med-Or Foundation and former Minister of the Interior, told Il Foglio this whilst discussing the recent cyber-attacks in Europe and Italy. He is sending out messages; let those who wish to understand, understand. “This is a matter of national security.” And here is a solution to tackle it.

“At this stage in history, with three wars currently underway, it is quite natural that there should be acts of asymmetric warfare – that is, warfare not fought on the battlefield,” says Minniti. In recent weeks, there have been attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and blood storage facilities in France, as well as a series of false bomb threats on flights. What is the objective? “It is twofold. Firstly, it serves to test a country’s response and its defences. Secondly, it serves to influence public sentiment. We live in societies that are becoming ever faster-paced and therefore ever more fragile. Incidents of this kind can first provoke a sense of bewilderment amongst the population, then insecurity, and finally fear.” The aim is “to undermine the cohesion of a state”. The bomb threats, in particular, “did not involve a demand for a ransom or money. The aim was to instil fear and a sense of insecurity. The same applies to those at supermarkets”.

Minniti identifies four “hacker states”: China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Investigations will follow, but the main suspects behind the attacks of recent days are Moscow and Tehran. “Russia, like the USSR, always tends to influence what happens beyond its national borders. By any means possible: from cyber-attacks to disinformation,” he says. “Putin is clearly banking on the fact that, between the end of this year and next, elections across Europe could lead to a shift in overall sentiment towards Ukraine. Upon hearing the news of the attacks, the Kremlin issued a formal statement explaining that we are now ‘facing a structural crisis of European democracies’. “At a time when several countries are heading to the polls, they are looking for ways to influence the outcome,” he says. Yesterday also saw the Abu Dhabi negotiations, whilst in Italy there is still wrangling over Kyiv. “It is positive that there has been a resumption of dialogue and direct discussion. We are still in the exploratory phase,” says Minniti. “This is precisely why Europe must aim to move from a trilateral to a quadrilateral framework. As is well known, a table with four legs is more stable and productive,” he explains. He adds: “This is precisely why maintaining support for Kyiv is crucial for Italy and Europe. To weaken it, to quote Winston Churchill, ‘would be worse than a crime; it would be a mistake’.”

But returning to the cyber-attacks, it remains to be seen what action to take. “We have significant defence capabilities. We have the ACN and the Postal Police, which in recent years have demonstrated considerable capacity to protect the country’s strategic sectors,” says Minniti. “But the threat is serious and imminent. We have two areas to strengthen.” The first is European coordination: “The issue raises the question of national sovereignty in matters of security, but it is equally clear that if every country acts alone, it is weaker.” The second concerns strengthening the Italian apparatus. “We have three models from which to draw inspiration: the US NSA, the UK’s GCHQ and Israel’s Unit 8200.” The distinction between “cyber defence and cyber attack” is now “very blurred”, says the former minister. “If I want to defend, I must also have the capability to attack.” For this reason, “we need a dedicated cyber intelligence structure. Not only to defend ourselves, but also to strike at potential attackers”.

The issue, therefore, is also political. But consensus is needed. “When we talk about intelligence and national security, we must be aware that these are issues on which there has always been a common ground that transcends party lines.” Minniti refers to Law 124 of 2007, the intelligence reform: “Italy is one of the few countries in the world where the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Committee for the Oversight of Intelligence (Copasir) is, by law, held by the opposition. In very few other countries is this a convention”. It is a cultural heritage that can enable the country to take a further step: “To assess the need for an intelligence structure exclusively dedicated to cyber security. More powers, more checks: the method is the substance”.