CASE STUDIES

Campania region, the battle against cyber threats

Overview

The Campania Region, with more than five thousand employees and other entities operating within its ecosystem, has legislative power over regional land use planning, infrastructure endowment, planning and organization of health and social services, promotion of local economic development, and more.

The challenge

The main challenge in cybersecurity for the Campania Region is to stay abreast of changing threats and evolving technologies on a day-to-day basis. Right from the start, several initiatives were put in place geared toward both the digital infrastructure and developing the right level of training and awareness of the human component.

The solution

The collaboration with Cyber Guru, with its three training programs, was a strategic choice for the Campania Region because it succeeded in engaging both administrative and technical staff, visibly increasing their level of awareness of cyber risks and decreasing the trend of threats triggered by classic user behaviors.

With the model proposed by Cyber Guru, people become the linchpin of digital security, ensuring proper adoption of the most advanced cyber protection practices

The Campania Region, given its size and exposure, is a sensitive target for cyber criminals and faces significant cybersecurity challenges. “In addition to experiencing massive mechanical attacks such as phishing and attempts to exploit vulnerabilities, the region is also subject to more targeted maneuvers by more organized actors. For example, in September 2023, we faced a cyber attack of some significance, which was intercepted and successfully thwarted.”-explains Mario Bolignano, information and technology systems officer of the Campania Region, whose main office is located in the heart of Naples, in Santa Lucia.

“The main challenge in cybersecurity is to stay abreast day by day of changing threats and evolving technologies…. From the very beginning, several initiatives have been put in place geared both to the digital infrastructure but also to other aspects: in fact, investing in the human component is crucial”-continues Bolignano. “With more than five thousand employees and others operating within our ecosystem, it is clear that not all security issues can be addressed through the purchase and configuration of software and equipment alone. It is necessary to bring everyone who in any way uses or helps manage the infrastructure to the right level of training and awareness.”

Training as a strategy

“The collaboration with Cyber Guru was a strategic choice for the Campania Region. “We found the project proposed by Cyber Guru interesting”-Bolignano explains. “In fact, we were looking for something that could serve both administrative and technical staff,”…

Several benefits have already been found in the Campania Region. “We have adopted all three modules. The channel series, in particular, is very effective because it stimulates curiosity while also arousing some awe”-Bolignano comments. “In general, many of the topics covered were unfamiliar to people who had the opportunity to read up on and raise their level of awareness about issues that could also affect their daily lives such as, for example, mail management and online browsing. We noticed a change through feedback, but the platform also saw a change in the trend of threats triggered by classic user behaviors, such as phishing. Regione Campania’s commitment will not end with the three years initially planned for this initiative, but will continue because training must be continuous to be effective. Regione Campania is committed to keeping its defense at the forefront, ready to meet future challenges with determination.”

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