CASE STUDIES

Defense General Staff

Panoramica

The VI Department of Information Technology, Cyber, and Telecommunications, a branch of the Defense General Staff, is tasked with developing strategic guidelines for the digitalization process of the military instrument and the development of modernization and renewal programs for Defense capabilities in the field of Information Communication Technology and cyber.

The Challenge

The growing integration between physical and digital space makes every environment a potential target for cyber attacks. In this context, the Defense’s technological security has become central to protecting institutions, businesses, and citizens. Since many threats exploit human error, the first line of defense must be training and raising awareness among people.

The Solution

As many cyber attacks are based on human errors, training and raising awareness among personnel has become a project of fundamental importance to reduce risks and increase the organization’s resilience. For this reason, a cybersecurity awareness training program and phishing simulations have been launched for all Defense personnel.

Awareness Is the First Line of Defense

“The physical and virtual dimensions are increasingly integrated, with digitalization transforming any space – from civil and military infrastructures to work or private premises – into a container of sensitive information, potentially attackable. In this sense, the theme of ‘technological security’ has assumed a fundamental role for our society, for our country, for the institutions, as well as for the social and industrial fabric, with a planetary resonance”.

Speaking with great awareness is Division Admiral Francesco Procaccini, who leads the VI Department of Information Technology, Cyber and Telecommunications, the branch of the Defense General Staff tasked with developing strategic guidelines for the digitalization process of the military instrument and the development of modernization and renewal programs for our Defense capabilities in the field of Information Communication Technology and cyber.

The first line of defense, in addition to technological barriers, is constituted – according to Admiral Procaccini – “from awareness and a correct posture in the use of digital devices: in fact, most attacks exploit human error to penetrate systems. It must therefore be recognized that countering cyber threats must first start from raising awareness and training personnel at various levels”. Furthermore, “Most cyber attacks leverage human distractions and errors. Sensitizing our personnel with a training course therefore improves collective awareness and reduces possible risks for the organization, decreasing exposure to possible cyber threats and developing greater resilience in case of an event through adequate response capabilities” .

Results Achieved for the Security of the Country and Citizens

In this regard, the VI Department has identified specific areas of intervention to improve the current level of cybersecurity and, among the initiatives launched, has planned the development of a training and educational program on cybersecurity awareness and phishing simulation for all Defense personnel, with resources made available by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for Public Administrations. “The objective is twofold: to increase the level of awareness of civilian and military personnel currently serving in our organization on cybersecurity issues and to train users with real simulations”.

The Admiral, expressing satisfaction with the collaboration initiated with Cyber Guru, also explains that the use of the platform stemmed from the CONSIP framework agreement and that Cyber Guru’s proposal was evaluated as adherent to the Defense’s needs.

“The set of activities implemented – continues Admiral Procaccini – has increased the level of attention of our personnel. Continuous 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 requests for verification of email reliability by personnel and in a more attentive posture towards cybersecurity issues”.

To read the full interview and learn more click here