3rd Cyber Warfare National Conference

Cyber weapons and decision-making


Novembre 8th 2012

Aula Magna – Sapienza Università di Roma

Rome

scenario

An increasing number of states, starting with the major powers, are developing cyber-weapons with high destructive power. Although this capacity is currently limited to state actors, illicit non-state actors, such as certain terrorist groups and transnational criminal organisations, also aspire to acquire cyber weapons. Moreover, many countries are endowing themselves with strategic doctrines of cyber-war, both defensive and offensive. The creation of increasingly sophisticated and powerful cyber weapons, made possible by fast-paced scientific and technological innovations, will transform global geopolitics, creating new forms of conflict and new threats to the security of States and the international system

The cyber-weapons confer upon those who possess them unprecedented abilities to influence the decisions of an opponent or to disturb and paralyze its command and control centers. Apart from their already known destructive potential, cyber weapons are used to obtain two different types of effects on decision-making: both influence the choices of the opposing decision-maker, in the interests of the attacker, causing strong reactions in public opinion, or manipulating and damaging its data and information; both spreading uncertainty and confusion among opposing decision-makers in order to complicate, slow down and, if possible, paralyse their decision-making process and their capacity to respond.

In the light of the above brief considerations, the development of a national cyber security strategy for Italy is becoming increasingly necessary, to protect the vital interests of our country from threats from cyberspace in times of peace, war or security crisis. An Italian cyberspace strategy will have to carefully consider the development of new cyber weapons and threats to the sensitive decision-making processes of the country system.

BOARD

Chairman:

Eng. Paolo Lezzi (AD Maglan Europe)

Technical director:

Dr. Shai Blitzblau (Group Managing Director, Head Cyber Warfare Labs, Maglan Information Defense & Intelligence)

Scientific counsellors :

Prof. Umberto Gori (Emeritus Università di Firenze,
CSSII President & ISPRI Director )

Prof. Vincenzo Scotti (Link Campus University President)

Prof. Luigi Sergio Germani (Link Campus University & Director of the Study Centre “Gino germani”)

Military counsellor:

Admiral. Sq. Ferdinando Sanfelice di Monteforte (Chairman of the Military Working Group of the Italian Atlantic Committee, former Military Representative of Italy for NATO and European Commission)



SPEAKERS


Prof. Luigi Frati (Magnifico Rettore “Sapienza” Università di Roma)


Amb. Giampiero Massolo (Direttore Generale del Dipartimento Informazioni per la Sicurezza della Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri)


C. A. Nicola De Felice (Direttore Centro Innovazione Difesa – CID – III Reparto Stato Maggiore della Difesa – SMD)


Ing. Massimo Sarmi (AD Gruppo Poste Italiane)


Col. Giandomenico Taricco (II Reparto [Informazioni e Sicurezza] dello Stato Maggiore Difesa)


Ing. Daniela Pistoia (Vice President Research & Advanced Systems Design, ELT)


Dott. Marco Donfrancesco (Head of global Intelkligence & Secuity, Selex)


C. V. Andrea Billet (VI Reparto [C41 e Trasformazione] dello Stato Maggiore Difesa)


Ing. Nicola Mugnato (Head of Cyber Security, Group Security Office, Finmeccanica)


Ing. Giancarlo Grasso (Senior Advisor, Finmeccanica SpA)


Gen. B. (r.) Umberto Rapetto (già comandante GAT Nucleo Speciale Frodi Telematiche GdF)


Prof. Roberto Baldoni (Direttore La Sapienza Research Center for Cyber Intelligence and Information Security – CIS)


Dott. Giovanni Todaro (Security Systems Leader, IBM)


Dott. Roberto Saracino (CIO Gruppo Almaviva)


Prof. Francesco Pizzetto (già Presidente dell’Autorità Garante per la Privacy)



PROMOTER E SPONSOR


The event is promoted by CSSII (Center for Strategic, International and Entrepreneurial Studies of the University of Florence), by Link Campus University, by ISPRI (Institute for Forecasting Studies) and by the Study Center “Gino germani”. It is conceived by the promoters in agreement with Maglan Information Defense & Intelligence. The conference is intended for a qualified public including civilian nationals, military and security institutions, businesses, universities and research centres. It has two basic objectives:


First, to deepen the knowledge and increase the awareness among the political and economic decision-makers of the Italian system about the emergence of new offensive and defensive cyber weapons, of their future evolution, and also about the new problems they create making decision in the field of national security and the private sector.


And also bring together experts and analysts – from civilian and military government organisations, from the economic and financial world, from universities and scientific research centres – to contribute ideas and proposals concerning:


the elaboration of a national cyber security strategy for the Italian system;

the introduction of organisational innovations into the national security decision-making architecture, in order to enhance its capacity for both prevention and effectively and timely response to any cyber threat or attackwar against vital interests of our country.