Frattasi, Acn: “Cybersecurity is fundamental for economic growth and democracy”
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In an increasingly interconnected world dependent on information technologies, cybersecurity has become a crucial issue for economic growth and the safeguarding of democratic values. In Italy, the National Cybersecurity Agency was established to address these challenges and ensure a secure and resilient cyberspace. In his report to Parliament to present the Annual Report, the director of the agency, Bruno Frattasi, declared: “It has been an intense and challenging year. We will continue the work started in the wake traced by the National Cybersecurity Strategy to put innovative activities and projects in order to make the country stronger and safer from a cybernetic point of view”.
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The agency has been fully operational since 2022 and has launched a strategic planning process for the three-year period 2023-2025. In its first year of operation, the agency faced several operational challenges, including responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During this period, the agency sent out approximately 19,500 communications to entities included in the National Cyber Security Perimeter. The agency also provided technical support for 64 Golden Power notifications, of which 16 related to 5G technology.
Ransomware attacks were also among the most serious threats in 2022. The agency observed 130 ransomware events against public administrations and private operators. However, this only represents a fraction of the total number of ransomware attacks that have occurred, as many victims do not report the event. The manufacturing sector was the hardest hit, followed by technology, retail and healthcare.
ACN plans to expand its staff to 300 by the end of the year and will soon publish its Research and Innovation plan in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. ”The goal – continues Frattasi – is to make the ACN a pole of national excellence in the field of cybersecurity at the service of the country, to attract the best talents on the market who, thanks to their wealth of skills and abilities and to their spirit of service, they represent the most precious asset available to a public institution such as the Agency”.
Looking at the educational qualifications of personnel hired as at 31 December 2022, the prevalence (82%) of people in possession of a specialist degree is clear, 17% have a diploma while 1% a three-year degree.
The Fund for the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy can count on a total budget of over 2 billion euros for the years from 2023 to 2037. The resources – reads the report of the National Cybersecurity Agency – are destined to finance investments to achieve technological autonomy in the digital field and to improve the level of cybersecurity of national information systems. The Agency is entrusted with the task of coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the interventions that will be implemented with these funds. Other funds for cyber – 623 million euros – are foreseen from the investments of the Pnrr.
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But “full awareness of cyber risks is yet to come”, according to Frattasi. “The evolution of the geopolitical context, in which access to technologies – especially emerging ones – helps to determine the international hierarchy, and the cyclical exacerbation of tensions and conflicts in the many crisis areas will continue to condition the security of supply chains and influence the levels of cyber risk. In this context, the maintenance of a secure and resilient cyber space becomes an indispensable element for economic growth, the well-being of the population and the preservation of democratic values”. Precisely for this reason, he adds, the Agency “in accordance with its institutional mandate, will continue to operate to guarantee cyber security and resilience for the development of the digitization of the country, the production system and the Public Administrations”.
“In its role as National Cybersecurity Authority – concludes the director – the ACN has conducted a vast coordination action, encouraging the creation of a collaboration network and favoring the concentration of national capabilities in the matter”. But international cooperation and positioning in intergovernmental organizations are essential to strengthen Italian cybersecurity. These efforts are crucial for increasing awareness of threats and vulnerabilities through information exchange and for shaping policies and regulations that will impact national territory.
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