Today the computer is in many cases "invisible" at least in the sense of an instrument necessarily constituted by a more or less bulky central unit that contains the processor, disks, memory, etc., a keyboard, a monitor, and other peripherals.
As predicted in the 1998 Don Norman (The Invisible Computer, The MIT Press, 1998 - v.link), today the computer is present in many forms in our daily life. Smartphones, game consoles, smart TVs, connected cars are just some of the examples.
The computer is also a central element in an ever-increasing number of industrial, manufacturing, service and healthcare activities. There is no human activity today that does not depend more or less closely on the computer or a computer network.
The usability of the "invisible" computer, hidden in many objects, has made popular tools until recently aimed at a specialized audience. Think for example of the groups of radio amateurs that in the 70s and 80s created groups accessible only to those who had the skills to install a radio station. Today this possibility is immediately available to anyone with a connected phone and subscribed to one of the many platforms for creating social networks. However, the ease with which you use the tools and connect with other people has not been accompanied by a thorough reflection on information security.
Any computer other than storing information about us, also stores information about the people we are in contact with. It is also a powerful calculation resource that, when connected to the network, can be violated to be controlled by a stranger.
The invisibility of the computer (including all the smart tools) and the information it stores and processes makes it more difficult to perceive the dangers and risks involved. Among the many possible examples, I mention the "Mirai" network, built by violating thousands of network-connected devices such as surveillance cameras. The goal of the attackers was not to steal information, but to use the computational power to launch a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack which in the 2016 made most of the Internet sites for several hours inaccessible by the inhabitants of the east coast of the USA (for an in-depth description v.link).
This means that it is necessary not only to protect the information concerning our personal sphere and the information of the people we are in contact with and that we store in our systems, but to protect the systems themselves to prevent them from becoming real "weapons" in hand of attackers who invisibly take control of it to attack the real goals.
In the physical world we are very attentive to possible visible dangers for personal safety and that of others, so much so that to use professional work tools, operating machines or to drive a vehicle, it is necessary to attend courses and pass theoretical and practical exams.
When computers are practically invisible but have to manage numerous tools that have an effect in the physical world and that, consequently, their interconnection in the network involves potentially dangerous chain effects, what is done in the real world to mitigate the risk ?
The physical effect can in fact be achieved through chains of connections, starting from a computer not directly connected to a physical device, but which can be achieved through a relationship of trust between connected devices also allowed by the people who manage their use.
Let's focus for a moment on the smartphone, the most widespread connected object today.
Today we are not surprised that any smartphone immediately locates a person's face when we frame to take a photo. Yet until a decade ago, this was a task that required high computing power and algorithms that were not always error-free. Today with the same smartphone in a natural way we pass from commenting on the friend's photos, to arrange a bank transfer, to manage contracts of various kinds, interact with work documents and check household appliances. The intuitiveness of the interaction is unfortunately not accompanied by the necessary awareness (awareness) of the risks due to malicious people who abuse our trust.
Now, since we were children they teach us the rudiments of road traffic to make us immediately able to use the roads, understand the rules and signs, in order to use them safely for themselves and for others who use the road. When I was a child, a tool like the elevator was prohibited before the age of 12 and in the building I lived in the buttons were placed high up, out of the reach of a small child.
Now, it is clear to everyone that the rapid evolution of information technology and communication is a factor of development not only economic but also social, for the greater possibility of interacting, of knowing the world outside of its own search, of being able to seize opportunities .
But in order to enjoy this opportunity, the risks and dangers must be governed immediately to prevent the introduction and development of tools that are so important for the improvement of individual and social well-being (think of the positive effects in the healthcare world, both in terms of for treatment, and for the possibility of being able to offer treatments in geographically disadvantaged areas) is stopped by a lack of widespread awareness of potential and risks.
If we look at the national panorama, the situation is unfortunately bleak.
For many years in Italy, investment in education, in terms of positive government actions that assign resources, tasks and objectives, has been completely absent.
The teaching of new technologies in elementary, middle and high schools, which should involve all students regardless of their educational background, is left to the voluntary initiative of individual schools and to the passion of individual teachers.
At university level there are specialized courses for the training of professionals, but their number is insufficient to cover the needs of the labor market (v.link).
Almost totally absent, even in the university field, is horizontal training in information technology and their security.
And if we think that there is no professional activity that today does not have to deal with IT ...
This scenario, in addition to representing a dangerous alarm bell for the competitiveness of our nation, which does not adequately train the skills necessary to deal with the rapid technological transformation in the international arena, is particularly critical for safety since it becomes difficult to manage. a security "perimeter" when individuals are scarcely aware that it is everyone's job to defend that perimeter.
The passion of different professors of schools of every order and grade, as well as the competences present in the academic field, must not be just a starting point for impromptu initiatives.
An in-depth study of the training objectives for each age group and the consequent training of teachers is needed.
One cannot rely on good will and knowledge acquired out of personal curiosity. As with any discipline, improvisation can cause damage.
It is already very late. But if we continue to ignore it, not only will we be increasingly exposed to dangers that are easily avoidable with good basic training.
While waiting, the whole country loses competitiveness due to its dependence on nations that instead invest in culture and education and those who use this culture and education to exercise dominion over other nations.
In Italy we already have numerous internationally recognized professionalism and skills. Resources and strategies must be put in place in order not to waste this heritage and use it as a multiplier factor (v.link).
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