A-Infos (en) Italy, Umanita Nova #26-25 - Armed Cybersecurity. Future Wars and the Future of Warfare (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The issue of computer and network security is central in a society where 
the spread of information technologies has invaded every sphere of 
people's lives. Unsurprisingly-since we live in a profit-driven 
system-the business surrounding this sector has steadily grown over the 
years and continues to expand. ---- Alongside the news reported by the 
media, which only recount the most spectacular events-one of the latest 
being the shutdown of several major European airports-there are experts 
who provide their analyses.

In the report of the "Italian Foundation on Cyber Security," an overview 
is presented on the state of cybersecurity in Italy, analyzing data from 
2024 and comparing it to the previous year. Among other things, it 
points out that "The motivations behind the intensification of DDoS 
attacks are not only financial but also geopolitical in nature, linked 
to the conflict in Ukraine and that in the Gaza Strip"[p. 6]. And, a 
little later, it reiterates: "DDoS attacks against businesses can have 
various motivations: opportunistic reasons, acts of digital vandalism, 
unfair competition, political activist movements, demonstrations of 
power by hacker groups, but the large volume of events affecting the 
institutional sector in 2024 suggests a likely correlation with the 
geopolitical context"[p. 8]. DDoS attacks, for those who may not know, 
are those launched against a website to block its operation.

Another document produced by "Clusit" (Italian Association for 
Information Security), which considers not only Italian but also global 
data, warns from the introduction that "Data analysis shows that, beyond 
the impacts caused by cybercrime and the 'normal' economic intelligence 
activities we have been observing for years, since 2022, with the 
beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, we have entered a new phase of 
'widespread cyber warfare,' which continues into 2024."[p. 7]. This 
concept is reiterated shortly after: "In addition to the thousands of 
attacks carried out by cybercriminals and state-sponsored groups, in 
2024 a growing number of antagonistic groups also struck a large number 
of organizations and governments, contributing to an ever-widening sense 
of uncertainty. In some cases, it is reasonable to assume that these 
so-called hacktivist cells are in fact manipulated by government 
agencies and integrated into broader psychological warfare, 
disinformation, and sabotage activities."[p. 10].

Finally, there is also the study produced by the National Cybersecurity 
Agency (ACN), created in 2021 to safeguard the country's interests in 
this sector. The political responsibility of the ACN falls under the 
Presidency of the Council of Ministers, where an "Interministerial 
Committee for Cybersecurity" (CIC) has been established.
In the 2024 Annual Report presented to Parliament, it states: "Even in 
2024, hacktivism continued to represent a significant component of cyber 
activities detected in Italy, increasing by 63% compared to last year. 
This phenomenon is almost always directly attributable to non-state 
groups but aligned with specific geopolitical interests, particularly in 
the context of the conflict in Ukraine. Pro-Russian groups, in fact, are 
the most active against Italian targets (about 500 attacks) ..."[p. 37].

Within this rapidly changing and highly dynamic scenario, a significant 
new development has been announced.
According to media reports, the Italian Government intends to present a 
Draft Law (DDL) that would lead to the creation of a new department 
within the Ministry of Defense. Alongside the air force, navy, and army, 
a sort of new military force dedicated to cyberspace would be born. At 
the time of writing, the text of this measure has not yet been made 
public, so what follows is based on information leaked by politicians.

The DDL would-in general-grant the Ministry of Defense certain powers to 
operate directly in the field of "cyber warfare," equipping itself with 
the necessary personnel (including non-military staff) and intervening 
outside the traditional theaters of war, both defensively and 
offensively. In other words, it would become legitimate for the Armed 
Forces to begin using, alongside bullets, bombs, and missiles, also 
computers to keep pace with so-called "hybrid wars." The proposal is not 
surprising and is part of the repertoire of the current Minister of 
Defense, who on several occasions has expressed a desire for greater 
involvement of his ministry in this field.

While awaiting the concrete implementation of these proposals, some 
general reflections can be made.
All the documents cited above argue that among the main motivations 
underlying cyberattacks are issues of "geopolitics"-a term widely 
overused but one that certainly facilitates legislative proposals aimed 
at expanding the powers and scope of ministries like Defense.
It is rather obvious that computers and their programs have long been 
used for war-both as indispensable support for classic weapons of 
destruction and increasingly for the most nefarious operations, as can 
be clearly seen in the ongoing massacre in Palestine.

A law such as the one proposed would undoubtedly increase confusion in 
Italy and favor those seeking to expand their power in an area that is 
highly sensitive for individual and collective freedoms. Also because 
the landscape in the IT sector, in Europe and therefore also in Italy, 
is in constant flux, and all experts consistently stress that one of the 
main problems is the regulatory framework, which is often behind the 
"state of the art" and overlaps with itself, generating problems of all 
kinds. Not by chance, in recent weeks, there has been talk at the 
European level about revising some of the digital measures enacted even 
in recent years.

Another worrying factor is that the computer illiteracy of the 
population is often directly proportional to the spread of computers, 
tablets, phones, etc. For this reason, such decisions would 
significantly increase the power of small groups of people with specific 
expertise, fostering the creation of elites who could easily manipulate 
political and military decision-makers who are not always well-versed in 
new technologies.

Faced with an increasingly troubling global situation, it must be 
remembered that, despite everything, the "human factor" has not yet been 
completely eliminated. Even in a society almost entirely dominated by 
computers, including in the military sphere, people can still make a 
difference, and individual choices could become one of the strengths of 
those opposing domination and one of the weaknesses of Power.

Pepsy

https://umanitanova.org/cybersicurezza-armata-guerre-future-e-futuro-delle-guerre/
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