To combat cyber-panic, collaboration is essential. Nunzia Ciardi (Acn) speaks out

“Amidst conflicts, the digital infrastructure underpinning societies is an ideal target. And the current highly volatile international geopolitical situation does not help.” Nunzia Ciardi, deputy director-general of the National Cybersecurity Agency, speaks to Il Foglio following intense weeks marked by attacks on refrigeration systems in European supermarkets and on plasma bags in France. This scenario was compounded yesterday morning by reports of bomb threats on around twenty European flights – eight of which had departed from or were bound for Italy – creating a situation of extreme uncertainty. Subsequent checks revealed no explosive material, but the fear was considerable.

The list of everything that has alarmed institutions and members of the public in recent weeks is rather striking. Cyberattacks have hit the European cold chain on two fronts: hundreds of supermarkets in at least eight European countries and, in France, cold stores belonging to the national blood supply network. To this have been added bomb threats sent by email to 280 Italian schools (ten in Rome and its province alone) and, most recently, the threats reported yesterday on around twenty flights across European airspace, which triggered security measures in several countries and prompted the European Commission to activate the aviation security information-sharing mechanism. According to Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, the incidents “are part of a strategy to increase chaos”, whilst Brussels has remained more cautious: “It is still too early to determine whether the threats are linked”.

“At this historic moment,” Ciardi emphasises once again, “we are facing a situation that certainly does not foster a sense of calm. But by carrying out our work professionally and asking everyone to play their part in this complex mosaic, we may be able to limit the scope of the risk.” The current situation “is a high-risk scenario that requires a swift and professional response”, warns the expert. “Fortunately, in Italy, we have been less severely affected than other European countries, which have certainly suffered greater damage, so this is a source of comfort. After all,” she continues, “in our country, significant progress has been made on the cybersecurity front. Firstly with the establishment of the ACN, but also through the introduction of specific regulations over the last two years, which have made possible – amongst other things – institutional collaborations of vital importance for cybersecurity.” The Agency was established in 2021 with the task of safeguarding security and resilience in cyberspace. It is responsible for preventing and mitigating as many cyber-attacks as possible and for promoting the achievement of technological autonomy. Furthermore, it now collaborates on a permanent basis “with the National Anti-Mafia Directorate, the public prosecutors’ offices, the Postal Police and the Intelligence Community. Networking in a world that no longer has borders, which has shattered all boundaries and spatial-temporal constraints, is essential. In this regard – says Ciardi – our country is moving in absolutely the right direction”.

Despite the progress made, the level of risk in Italy remains high. “Just as it is in all advanced societies characterised by widespread digitalisation,” explains the expert. “It took the telephone 75 years to reach 100 million users, whilst a model such as ChatGPT took just two months. We’re talking about something that leaves us no time to reflect; we cannot view our society through the lens of 20th-century processes and methods.” The risk also depends, to a large extent, on a lack of awareness and a deficient digital culture. “Even today, there is still not the necessary and sufficient attention to reduce this risk exposure. One need only think of the cold chains that have been hit in recent days: systems that were out of date or had very weak passwords were attacked. Cybersecurity – he points out – is also the result of individual awareness, not just institutional awareness, and of a culture that is commensurate with current levels of risk.” In the last few hours, the ACN has convened an emergency meeting with all the other representatives of the most widespread supermarket chains in Italy. “We found an audience that was very responsive and reassured by the fact that we were able to provide precise instructions. The attacks served as an opportunity for them to commit to exchanging information more frequently amongst themselves. Security is achieved through a network of collaboration,” observes Ciardi. Paradoxically, an attack on that scale turns into an opportunity to create spaces that did not previously exist.