Wave of cyber attacks facing Europe raises fears of a hybrid war

The wave of cyber attacks that Europe has faced in recent weeks raises fears of a hybrid war - a strategy that combines digital attacks, intimidation and other forms of sabotage. The threat entered this Tuesday (10) on the agenda of the G7 foreign ministers, meeting in Paris. Italy's foreign minister called for a joint response and sanctions against those responsible. He himself, Antonio Tajani, had his personal data exposed on the dark web.

On Saturday (7), in a statement, he reported that hackers were seeking information about his family, even offering a cash reward. The statement also lists threats to Italy's support for Ukraine:

In France, in October, refrigeration systems in 700 supermarkets and butchers were sabotaged. On Monday (9), France held Iran's Revolutionary Guard responsible and, this Tuesday (10), the Iranian ambassador was summoned to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In Paris, the court requested international arrest warrants. Iran rejected the accusations.

Also this Tuesday, the Italian government brought together the heads of the police and intelligence services to analyze the attacks in Italy and other European countries. The authorities identified some common objectives: to provoke instability, spread fear and undermine the credibility of institutions. Italy has decided to increase surveillance of the most vulnerable digital systems.

“A situation like this is an even more explosive element within a broad scenario called ‘war fatigue’, in which several European countries and their public opinions are afraid to continue supporting, for example, in relation to Ukraine, even more so in relation to Iran, which Europe was not directly involved in, but directly suffers the economic costs of that war”.