The cyber security of a country and its citizens represents one of the most significant challenges of all governments globally. The sensitivity of one's information must be preserved in a totally computerized world, where anyone can cause damage, even by investing little money. Information has become liquid, it is able to permeate quickly in all directions thanks to "cyber space" and is accessible to everyone. The strategic structures of the state, private individuals, businesses and research are present and dependent on the parallel virtual world. This is because market demands require speed and updates that are increasingly responsive to the changing and continuous needs of users.
In this virtual world, the security of information and data, unfortunately, is not zero risk, even though more and more effective security applications are being adopted. There are millions of violations of state, small and large companies, or individual citizens every day around the world.
The aspect that arouses embarrassment and fear is that, almost always, we notice the violations suffered only when now the economic or reputational damage has been done. Profiling a company rather than a single citizen is almost child's play. With a minimum investment of around two thousand euros you can buy Online, or even rent only for a week, powerful software that can penetrate the security of even complex network systems.
There are also sociological reflections in all this. Sociological scholars believe that even if computerization has facilitated globalization and favored markets, it has, on the other hand, increased the risks of vulnerability of strategic apparatuses and has changed human habits and behavior. There are more and more socialization problems on the part of adolescents, but also of adults, who tend to isolate themselves, considering the computer system as the only means of interfacing with the outside world. Greetings on anniversaries are made only with the sound of "bit". It is less tiring and faster! The sentimental and human side to run is being lost. But where?!
Returning to the context of geopolitics, other factors have prompted some international organizations to consider whether or not to consider cyber attacks between states as real acts of war. This is because major attacks between states have caused crises with tightening of sanctions and raising military alert levels.
From the moment, therefore, that the world of "cyber space" can be considered, to all effects, a new terrain of comparison and conquest, there are different complaints about the fact that, at present, the architecture of "global governance"Internet is based only on theInternet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which is based in the USA., Whose "border" consists of a private association of multi-stakeholder. In fact, ICANN is being challenged by giants such as Russia, China and India that would aim at a turning point, pushing for a more inclusive and multipolar international policy, through the United Nations Agency, theInternational Telecommunication Union - ITU. Nothing concrete, however, has yet been done, in this sense, in the face of American and European reluctance.
This new virtual land of conquest and control pushes States to undertake, without delay, vigorous policies focused on the sector of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). Sector considered "reluctantly"Now key to foster the economic and industrial progress of our times.
Therefore, the need for a national cyber-security doctrine has become essential and is at the top of the priority lists of our latest governments. During the technical government of Monti, in 2013, a Dpcm was launched which identified and organized the "governance" of Cyber security Italian. Everything is organized on the chairman of the council and on the CSIR - il Interministerial Committee for the Security of the Republic - which identifies the figure of the Prime Minister with the central figure of the Core for cyber security. Naturally the central role is always entrusted to Information Agencies. The Renzi government is continuing in this direction and is speeding up the discussion for the creation of an Agency for "cyber security".
The road is long and winding for the rules. On the other hand, it is important to instill, immediately through targeted communication campaigns, a real culture of safety in the various strategic sectors of the Italian system and to help, especially SMEs, to include in their financial statements, with important tax reliefs, investments for the cyber security, because they, first of all, are unaware victims of malicious attacks by competing foreign companies.
A search of the Trend Micro conducted throughout Europe by Quocirca revealed today, in fact, that almost all Italian companies are worried about a cyber attack, especially if for industrial espionage. As many as 97% support it, even if only 13% believe that targeted attacks are inevitable, against a European average of 23%. On average with their European counterparts, Italian companies think they have suffered an attack and that this has been successful, but compared to their foreign colleagues, the damage to reputation seems greater than the loss of data. This situation is reflected in the fact that 14 Italian companies are on the list of the 40 companies that have suffered the worst attacks, counting losses of around 1 million euros. Of these 14 companies, 5 were in the financial sector, 4 in the transport sector, two in the sector retail, one of the sector Information Technologies, one of the services sector business and one of the manufacturing sector. And yet, only the 35% of Italian companies in fact have a response plan in the event of a breach, which is expected by more than one company out of four abroad.
Overall, across Europe, 369 companies on 600 have confirmed they have been the victim of an attack in the last 12 months. In 251 cases the attackers were successful and 133 companies claimed they had stolen data; 94 admitted a significant reputational damage.
The most alarming aspect is that many companies find out late, or they do not even know, that they have suffered a loss of data, and the damage is, unfortunately, not only economical.
(photo: US Air Force)
