Hacker, Piantedosi: "Attack on our democracies, Italy will be able to react"

"There are entities interested in fueling tensions and representing our democracies as fragile and vulnerable. It happens through various channels, but almost always by making hostile use of technology. Our task is to prevent these attempts from reaching their objective. And we have the tools to do it." Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi says this in an interview with Il Messaggero, speaking about the hacker attacks: what emerges "clearly", he claims, is "the desire to create destabilization and attack the credibility and reputation of the institutions, fueling insecurity and distrust in citizens".

"We do not underestimate risks, but Italy is a resilient democracy"

When asked if there is a single direction among those who smash shop windows and raid fridges, Piantedosi responds in the negative, explaining that there is, however, a common desire to "destabilize". Speaking of the risk of interference with the vote, the minister then states that "the risk" is not underestimated. But, he says, "we are certain that Italy is a mature, resilient democracy also from this point of view". Speaking about the usefulness of European sanctions to stem hybrid warfare, Piantedosi explains that "sanctions are always an important deterrent, but to counter hybrid warfare there is a need for a stronger and more coordinated European response, based on information sharing, prevention and the ability to react quickly to threats. Cybersecurity" - he concludes - "is now an essential component of national security".