Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
ROME – The cyber threat has escalated and rattled the national executive, prompting institutions to mount an immediate, coordinated response. The interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, has called an extraordinary meeting of the national committee for public order and security at the Viminale for Tuesday 10 November. The summit will analyse in depth the risks to national security and the protection of essential services amid a surge in hacker attacks.
The alert comes just hours after reports of alleged threats and bounties posted on the dark web against the deputy prime minister and foreign minister Antonio Tajani and Rome’s chief prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi.
Ministers’ statements: “A hybrid war aimed at the vote”
The gravity of the emergency has been confirmed by statements from two senior government figures to the press:
- Tommaso Foti (European Affairs): In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Foti spoke openly of an ongoing hybrid war: “If an external agent alters the temperature of the refrigerators storing food or blood, it means a hostile act is under way against our national security.” On the origin of the attacks, Foti added: “Awaiting the intelligence analysis, three clues make almost a proof. I cannot rule out a Russian hand linked to our support for Ukraine.”
- Antonio Tajani (Foreign Affairs): In an interview with Il Giornale, Tajani reassured on the strength of cyber defences, confirming maximum alert for his personal security and that of his family. For the head of the Farnesina, the aim of these attacks is to undermine democracy: “Ahead of the next electoral deadlines there will be a systematic attempt to influence public opinion and divide Europeans through disinformation.” Tajani announced he will raise the issue at the next G7 Foreign Ministers to coordinate a collective response.
Prevention, defence and the misuse of AI
Both ministers defended the need to continue investing in cyber defence, stressing that protecting digital infrastructure is the same as protecting schools, hospitals and essential services for citizens.
Finally, Tajani issued a warning about the use of artificial intelligence in politics and election campaigns (referring to the episode of the fake image spread by the PD leader Bonaccini): “Using it to manipulate reality and prove a false thesis fuels disinformation. Undermining those who represent the country in the world is a serious act.”
