Cybersecurity

Digital Transformation in Italian Local Authorities: Progress Made, but Cybersecurity Lags Behind

In recent years, Italy’s local governments have taken significant steps toward digital transformation. Fuelled by national reforms and EU recovery funds, more and more municipalities are bringing services online. Yet as digital adoption accelerates, a critical vulnerability has emerged: cybersecurity.

A More Digital Italy—Even at the Local Level?

Digital innovation is no longer the exclusive domain of central ministries or major cities. Local governments across Italy are embracing new technologies at an unprecedented pace. The data speaks for itself:

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Greek companies have the weakest cybersecurity

Greek businesses have emerged as the weakest link in the European Union when it comes to cybersecurity, ranking last in terms of protective measures against cyberattacks. Just days after Kaspersky released data showing that Greece tops the list as the most dangerous online environment globally, Eurostat figures paint a grim picture of corporate cyber-readiness, placing Greek companies extremely low in the rankings.

According to the latest Eurostat data, while the majority of companies in the EU have implemented cybersecurity measures, disparities among member-states remain significant. Greek companies stand out negatively, being labeled as the weakest of Europe in terms of implementing cybersecurity protections.

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What can cybersecurity learn from true crime?

Even if you’re not a fan of true crime documentaries or podcasts, you’re probably familiar with some of the well-known serial killers from USA in the 1980s. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the Golden State Killer to name a few.

Now what does this have to do with cybersecurity and CS-AWARE-NEXT? I promise there is a connection other than justifying my consumption of true crime podcasts during office hours!

Watching true crime documentaries, where the serial killer is caught much too late because they committed their crimes in different states or counties and the police stations didn’t share information across borders. In their defence, at the time, the technology wasn’t developed to do so.

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Cybersecurity & the Domino effect

A cyberattack is rarely caused by one big thing, but more often a combination of many little things. We see it all the time in disaster documentary film, how even the tiniest little detail can start a chain reaction with devastating results. A chain reaction that could have been stopped if even just one of the Dominos in the line were missing.

Take documentary film about plane crashes for example. We know flying is safe, we know how high the security priority is. In the events of a crash, we hear of all the frustratedly many small errors and we are left wondering how so many things have been overlooked.

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Beyond 2025

OTS Company, as a partner of the CS-AWARE-NEXT, represented the project at the international digital technology and innovation exhibition “Beyond”, which took place from 4 to 6 of April 2025 in Athens, Greece.

Beyond fosters the development of innovative technologies and business opportunities, while it aims at creating a hub that promotes collaboration and encourages the exchange of knowledge and ideas. It is a great opportunity for global innovators, researchers, and start-ups to connect. This year, the title of the exhibition was “AI Reality Bites” and focused on artificial intelligence and all the factors that come along as it integrates society. Cybersecurity was also a key theme: there were experts who demonstrated live, discussed in panels and showcased in workshops the importance of it and how a user or an organization can be safer online.

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Cybersecurity in Italian Municipalities: A Growing Emergency

In recent years, the digitalization of Public Administration has increasingly exposed the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of Italian municipalities. Hacker attacks are multiplying, targeting public offices and essential services, while institutions struggle to respond with new regulations and protective measures. However, the problems persist, and municipalities often find themselves unprepared in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats.

Rising Concern Over Cybersecurity in Municipalities

According to data from the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), in 2024 about 18% of cyberattacks targeted Public Administration, particularly affecting local authorities and healthcare centers. This alarming trend prompted the government to respond with legislative measures and security strategies.

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Social engineering - the Jedi mind trick of cyberattacks.

“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for”, “These aren’t the droids we’re looking for” - The iconic exchange between Ben (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and the Stormtroopers in Star Wars episode IV - A New Hope. A scene where our heroes are almost caught in a check-point, but are able to convince the enemy Stormtroopers to let them pass.

And while the cybercriminals haven’t graduated from the Jedi Academy, they can use similar techniques to manipulate you when you least expect it.

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Information Society is leading the battle for Cybersecurity

The Ministry of Digital Governance (MDG) in Greece is implementing a set of projects through Information Society for the protection of public bodies against cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity in the public sector is crucial for safeguarding sensitive information, ensuring the integrity of essential services, and maintaining public trust. Government agencies handle vast amounts of personal data and critical infrastructure, making them prime targets for cyberattacks. Effective cybersecurity measures prevent data breaches, protect national security, and ensure the continuity of public services. By investing in robust cybersecurity frameworks, the public sector can mitigate risks, respond effectively to incidents, and uphold the privacy and safety of citizens.

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The importance of user role definition and access restrictions

Many of us have seen the cinematic masterpiece called The Lord of the Rings and can recall the scene where Pippin Took touches The Palantír (the glass orb looking thing with the eye of Sauron in it) and thus gave said villain an insight to his mind.

The bad news: Sauron knows everything Pippin knows. The good news: Pippin doesn’t know anything!

At first there is the panic when Gandalf thinks Sauron now knows everything, then there is the calmness of realising the ‘fool of a Took’ knows nothing that Sauron can use. If we compare that to real life: The panic of knowing your systems have been infiltrated, then the calmness of realising that the access is very limited and doesn’t cover any of the important parts of the IT system.

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New Cybersecurity Master's Program in Oulu

Cybersecurity is a new study option based on the research excellence in software security at the University of Oulu. The student specialising in cybersecurity will be able to design, develop, test and evaluate systems, software or hardware for security goals in the ever evolving digital landscape​.

As a whole, artificial intelligence and the development of different AI solutions play a role in all four study options. For example, the studies can contribute to various aspects of emerging edge computing and edge AI technologies.

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