Cyber security events against Italian national public institutions 2022, by type

In 2022, 21 cyberattacks targeting the Italian national public institutions that were treated by the country's technical and operational offices of the Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale (Italian National Cybersecurity Agency) were ransomware. Of the 160 cyber incidents reported to the agency's CSIRT (Computer Security Incident Response Team), 14 were DDoS attacks.

Ransomware attacks on Italian companies

According to a survey of management and IT professionals in Italian companies, 40 percent of Italian firms reported ransomware attacks in the last examined year, compared to the 27 percent of companies that encountered the same type of cyberattack in 2022. In 2022, the Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale (Italian National Cybersecurity Agency) identified the LockBit group as the main threat actor behind 42 ransomware attacks launched against the Italian private sector. The hacker group, which is recognized as one of the leading cyber menaces to organizations and companies worldwide, operates via ransomware-as-a-service, developing and selling malware code to third parties.

Cybersecurity: how much to keep Italian companies safe?

Italy’s cyber security market was estimated at two billion U.S. dollars in 2022. This represents an increase from its 1.32 billion U.S. dollars valuation recorded in 2019. The online environment in Italy is increasingly populated with threats and hazards, as the escalating pace of digitalization has resulted in heightened levels of peril and exposure. In 2023, approximately 20 percent of Italian companies reported they were dedicating eight to 10 percent of their total ICT security spending to cyber security.