14 DAY TRIAL // Following the warning that Europe needed to better protect itself from Russian meddling, Italy created a national cybersecurity organization, says Security Week.
The new agency was approved by the cabinet in an all-night meeting on Thursday.
The Italian government said in a statement that it must defend national interests along with the resilience of the state's services and critical activities from cyber threats.
Draghi noted on May 25 in Brussels that urgent action is needed to combat digital risks. Mario Draghi stated, "We need to strengthen ourselves, we need to strengthen ourselves a lot, especially in terms of cybersecurity, all of us, at national level and at EU level... because the level of Russian interference both with spies and with manipulation of the web has become truly alarming".
Earlier this year, investigators arrested an Italian naval captain for selling classified military papers leaked from his computer to a Russian embassy official.
The role of the agency is to prevent and respond to cyberattacks
The Italian government tasked the new organization with devising strategies to prevent, monitor, detect and mitigate cybersecurity threats and strengthen national defense.
According to media reports, Draghi and his adviser on security services, ex-police chief Franco Gabrielli, are going to have direct control over the organization. The institutions is said to need around 300 people.
As former European Central Bank chief, Draghi has been heavily involved in intelligence matters since his election to head of the national unity government in February. Last month, he appointed Elisabetta Belloni, a career diplomat, to head Italian intelligence. She is the first woman to hold the position.
The prime minister has yet to choose the head of the new cybersecurity agency. According to the Corriere della Sera, the main candidates are Roberto Baldoni, a professor of computer engineering who already works with intelligence agencies on cybersecurity, and Nunzia Ciardi, the head of the Internet police.