Hacker alert, tightening of protocols for those discovered

Guarantee the security of infrastructures that are still too exposed, to avoid the risk that, with new attacks, hackers could use digital systems to launch new offensives or spread panic. It is one of the priorities that emerge in light of the recent digital sabotage of the cold chain in some companies, the bomb scares in Italian airports and the dissemination of sensitive data of representatives of politicians and investigators.

A point on the monitoring of the most vulnerable structures will be made in the next few hours at the summit at the Interior Ministry, with the aim of extending more stringent protocols to exposed and still weak security systems. It is no coincidence that the Computer security incident response team Italy (Csirt) found that in the first 9 months of 2026, almost 45 thousand assets and services at risk were identified with over 3,200 assets potentially compromised.

And in addition to the heads of the police forces and intelligence services, representatives of the National Cybersecurity Agency will also participate in the National Committee for Public Order and Security. It cannot be ruled out that among the focuses there may also be the topic of the risks of foreign interference in the next electoral rounds in Italy, starting from the political ones, with attempts to manipulate consensus through fake news: a leap forward in hybrid warfare that could leave room for cognitive ones, such as digital manipulation campaigns. Also in this case, supervisory systems, limits and obligations could therefore be introduced.

The alert therefore remains high on all fronts. In recent hours, some users on social media had reported the sale on the dark web of an archive of over 220 megabytes of information, which had allegedly been stolen from the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate website. But after a series of checks, Dia itself specified that only an acquisition of its website had taken place, therefore only public data was involved and no protected data had been exfiltrated.

The work of the Prosecutor's Office also continues. The magistrates of Rome have started an investigation file in relation to the dissemination - by the Russian computer hackers of Noname - of personal data and requests for news, on the dark web, of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, the head of the Postal Police, Ivano Gabrielli and the Prosecutor of Rome, Francesco Lo Voi (the position of the latter due to his competence will come to the attention of the Prosecutor's Office of Perugia). Crimes of unauthorized access to a computer system and threats could be hypothesized in the proceedings.

In Milan, the prosecutors are working on the false bomb scares spread on flights: in addition to the "provoked alarm", the Prosecutor's Office has also contested the crime of "public intimidation". However, the investigations into the case are also coordinated by the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate, with investigations also opened in other offices. Europol is also involved, having called a meeting soon.

Further elements also arrive regarding the cyber attack - which the Trento magistrates are investigating - on the Brenner Tunnel company, which occurred on 17 October on a server with 812 giga of data used for the exchange of documents with the Italian foster carers. The 'Bbt Se' company explained that "these are technical and administrative documents, mostly already public, such as tender documents and topographic data. The Italian contractors involved have been informed" and "the cybersecurity experts are monitoring the possible publication of the exfiltrated data. For now, no publication of them has been recorded".