🎤 007 raise the alarm on possible conditioning of the 4 March 2018 vote

Faced with the growing degree of interconnection that characterizes modern societies and a threat that has continued to be increasingly sophisticated and persistent, the national cyber architecture has undergone changes aimed at further strengthening the country's cyber defense capabilities ". The traditional presentation of the “Annual report on the information policy for safety” was held this morning at Palazzo Chigi, by the Department of Information for Safety (Dis). The Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, and the Director General of Dis, Alessandro Pansa, took part. A document that annually illustrates the situation of the country and the international scenario from the point of view of the main threats to the security and stability of democratic institutions and civil coexistence. “Defending the IT space is defending our national territory. The defense against cyber security risks is the defense of Italy ”, explained the prime minister at the presentation. First the point was made on the ten years of the Report (2007 - 2017), then the hottest topics on national security were addressed, such as international terrorism, especially jihadist, then regional crises and global actors, the migration phenomenon, the possible internal subversive threats and extremist activity, with an attachment dedicated entirely to the country's cyber capabilities, the state of cyber threats and possible future developments at the end. A relevant line of interest is that connected with the "hybrid threat", which translates into campaigns of influence which, "starting with the online dissemination of information stolen through cyber attacks, aim to condition the orientation and sentiment of public opinions , especially when the latter are called to the polls.

As a result of this type of threat, "an increase in digital espionage campaigns by state actors is considered possible, with the use of operational obfuscation methods to make the identification of the attacker more difficult, as well as hybrid threats. , especially near crucial passages for democratic systems. Starting from what happened in the 2017, the Report highlights two main strands of cyber threats: the first, the traditional one of malware / ransomware; a second more focused on campaigns of influence and the concrete possibility of influencing and therefore "conditioning the orientation and the sentiment of public opinions, especially in the vicinity of the 4 March 2018 election. Looking ahead, our 007 have pointed out, "it is considered possible to increase the appeal by state actors to operational methods of obfuscation", also to achieve profits aimed at financing the development of activities sanctioned by the international community. At the same time, it appears reasonable to assume "the growth of the trend of hybrid threats".

In such a context, we read in the conclusions and evolutionary trends of the phenomenon, "the cybernetic tool is destined to become more and more a facilitator of influence activities", carried out through "the manipulation and targeted dissemination of information previously acquired through intrusive maneuvers in cyber-space ", so as to" guide public opinion, foment socio-economic tensions, increase the political instability of Western countries, upon the adoption of strategic decisions, considered by the actor hostile unfavorable to their own interests ". The blockchain and cryptocurrency chapter: "The growing diffusion of cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) promises critical issues related to their potential use for the purposes of money laundering, tax evasion, illicit export of capital and financing of terrorism". Cryptocurrencies represent, according to the Report, only one of the possible applications of blockchain technology. In 2017, "a growing number of institutions and companies, especially in the financial sector, launched projects based on this technology with the aim of creating innovative intangible infrastructures that allow, among other things, to reduce the costs of securities trading operations of property or values.

🎤 007 raise the alarm on possible conditioning of the 4 March 2018 vote