Awareness is the first line of defense
“For the security of the country and citizens.”
The physical and virtual dimensions are increasingly integrated, with digitization transforming any space-from civilian and military infrastructure to business or private offices-into containers of sensitive information that can potentially be attacked. In this sense, the issue of “technological security” has taken on a fundamental role for our society, our country, institutions, as well as the social and industrial fabric, with a resonance of planetary scope.”
Speaking with great awareness is Rear Admiral Francesco Procaccini, who heads the VI Informatics, Cyber and Telecommunications Department, the articulation of the Defense General Staff that is responsible for developing strategic guidelines on the digitization process of the military instrument and the development of programs to modernize and renew our Defense’s capabilities in the Information Communication Technology and cyber spheres.
The first line of defense, in addition to technological barriers, is – according to Admiral Procaccini – “from awareness and proper posture in the use of digital devices: in fact, most attacks exploit human error to penetrate systems. It should therefore be recognized that countering cyber threats must first start with awareness and training of personnel at various levels.” Again, “Much of cyber attacks leverage distractions and human error. Raising awareness among our staff through training therefore improves collective awareness and reduces possible risks to the organization, decreasing exposure to possible cyber threats and developing greater resilience in the event of an event through appropriate response capabilities.” .
In this regard, the VI Department has identified specific areas of focus to improve the current level of cybersecurity and, among the initiatives launched, has planned to develop a training and educational program on cybersecurity awareness and phishing simulation for all Defense personnel, with resources made available from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for Public Administrations. “The goal is twofold: to raise the level of awareness of civilian and military personnel currently serving in our organization, on cybersecurity issues and to train users with real-world simulation.”
The admiral, expressing satisfaction with the collaboration initiated with Cyber Guru, also explained that the use of the platform stemmed from the CONSIP framework agreement and that Cyber Guru’s proposal was assessed as adhering to the needs of the Defense. “The platform is functional because it takes advantage of the dynamics of today’s communication, which has changed so much due to the evolution of the tools used to share information and content, offering an educational path with simple language and multimedia communication techniques that combine theory, practice and experiential activities as real as possible.”
“Certainly,” says Admiral, “the set of activities put in place has increased the level of attention of our staff. Ongoing training allows us to keep our guard up, avoiding attitudes that could compromise the security of our organization as a whole. The results, in terms of attention, can also be seen in the statistical increase in staff requests for verification of email trustworthiness and a more attentive posture to cybersecurity issues.” Net of the information campaign launched internally to incentivize participation in the training, what emerges is the “great motivation and sense of responsibility of the women and men of Defense towards the state and the department, ingredients that are positively incentivizing adherence and involvement in this initiative.”
In the broader national picture and with reference to cyberspace, “Defense,” says Admiral, “is very active in the security and defense of the country and its interests. The virtual dimension today is a critical arena of permanent confrontation among the various actors in the international scenario, offering compelling opportunities but also significant potential risks. Therefore, for us, the cyber space is an operational domain on par with the land, maritime, air and space domains, essential to support our missions and ensure the defense and security of the state and its citizens, also in the context of collaboration with the other technical-operational pillars of national cybersecurity and Atlantic and European international cooperation.” .
“In that sense,” concluded Rear Admiral Procaccini, “only by fostering the spread of a cyber culture at all levels will it be possible to guide the processes of technological modernization of the military instrument and, more generally, of the country. In the knowledge that “the “restlessness and complexity” of the current environment impose on every organization the need to innovate and improve”.
