SMEs TOO EXPOSED TO CYBERATTACKS AND AT RISK OF CLOSURE: SUPPORT COMES FROM ITALIAN UNIVERSITIES

Courses, Masters and services to give substance to the third mission
Today atUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma the workshop “Tools to improve the cyber posture of SMEs” with Frattasi (ACN), Gabrielli (Postal Police), Lucchetti (Cyber ​​4.0), Diomede (Roma Capitale), Colasante (Google), Mammoliti (Italian Post Office)

Rome, 6 February 2024 - Italian SMEs urgently need to protect themselves from cyberattacks. But their small size and lack of culture of cyber risks constitute a limit to the adaptation to technologies and the development of protection systems. An essential contribution to the formation of this new culture comes from universities: this is the meaning of the workshop "Tools for improving the cyber posture of SMEs" promoted by the Academy ofuniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma within the Faculty of Engineering. 

An appointment with which the Roman university symbolically kicked off the first edition of the 1st level Master's degree in Cybersecurity management which has already sold out. The advanced training course intends to respond to the need to protect the IT structures of companies, institutions and public administrations and is organized starting from the indications of the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF).

The day was attended by numerous leading figures in Italian cybersecurity including Prefect Bruno Frattasi, director of the ACN, National Agency for National Cybersecurity; Ivano Gabrielli, Director of the Postal and Communications Police Service, Matteo Lucchetti (Cyber ​​4.0), Nicla Ivana Diomede, Director of the Cybersecurity and Security Department of Roma Capitale, Martina Colasante, Government Affairs and Public Policy of Google, Rocco Mammoliti (Security Manager of Information Poste Italiane SpA) and many others. During the day desired by prof. Roberto Setola and coordinated by Luca Faramondi ofUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma.

The current scenario sees small and medium-sized Italian companies in a very challenging position, particularly exposed to IT risks capable of causing serious damage to the production structure up to and including the closure of the business. Data from the most recent studies carried out in the sector say that 80% of Italian companies affected by cyber attacks are small or medium. If we look at the overall number of attacks, we discover that in the first 6 months of 2023, successful ones grew by over 40% compared to the same period in 2022, with an increase rate that in Italy was four times higher than the global one, transforming Italy into a central target for cyber pirates: today our country alone collects 9,6% of the global total of successful attacks (Swascan Report by Tinexta). 

On the business side, however, awareness of these risks is completely inadequate: 83% of Italian SMEs believe they are immune from cyber attacks (Ipsos for Certego 2023) and 72% of those interviewed have never carried out training activities on IT risks and 43% have not identified an IT security manager (Grenke Italia conducted by Cerved Group with Clio Security).  

“Specialized universities such as the Bio-Medical Campus and research centers where cybersecurity issues are studied and planned must open up to the outside world to give concrete support to the national productive fabric in this path of innovation – recalled the prof. Roberto Setola, full professor of automatics at the Faculty of Engineering of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma - In them, small and medium-sized Italian companies can find a point of reference in the area to choose training programs and courses, but also to find fundamental enabling skills in the cybersecurity field. L'Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma has long implemented this strategy of openness, generating a win-win ecosystem between the University and small and large companies. An open-innovation ecosystem has emerged which, in the field of cyber security, also transforms itself into a cooperation network and hub for info-sharing on threats, experiences and best practices".

“We know well how much the cyber threat is growing in our country, particularly in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors and how high the cyber risk is for Italian SMEs. All that remains is to equip ourselves to be prepared to face the risks and pitfalls of cyber incidents. There is a need to grow in resilience, in awareness and in cyber robustness” underlined in conclusion Bruno Frattasi, General Director of ACN. “Research and training play a fundamental role in promoting a new culture of cybersecurity. This applies to citizens as well as to public administrations and the productive fabric. We therefore welcome valuable initiatives like this one fromUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma” continues Director Frattasi “The ACN is strongly committed, in various ways, to supporting SMEs also thanks to the measures envisaged in the National Cybersecurity Strategy, with information actions, real information campaigns, through collaboration agreements with the category and with our university and research excellence".