In Italy, not even a billion euros are spent on cybersecurity, a very low figure that, according to some estimates, will only grow by 5%
The WannaCry ransomware attack, which last week held the computer systems of institutions and businesses worldwide in check, has highlighted how little cybersecurity is still considered by companies, both small and large.
Many continue, in fact, to ignore the problem. Others, however, lack the knowledge to understand the benefits and dangers brought by digitization. The shift to Industry 4.0 requires the adoption of always-on machines, which inevitably increases cybersecurity risks. Hackers often use vulnerabilities found in systems to deliver their blows. Sometimes it is the employees themselves who, unknowingly, spread the infection to the company network: an attachment opened in an email or the opening of a suspicious link can block the entire production chain.
The damages of a hacker attack
Then there is a good part of entrepreneurs, especially in Italy, who think that investing in computer security implies the disbursement of very high and unsustainable amounts of money for the company. On the contrary, as many estimates show, the costs to repair the damages of a hacker attack would be much higher than the initial investment. In order to recover data encrypted by ransomware, many companies are forced to submit to blackmail by hackers and pay the required ransom. And there’s no guarantee that the hackers will eventually return what was stolen.
Still little investment
Businesses, then, are being asked to take cybersecurity more seriously. That means raising the investment ceiling. As the Information Security & Privacy Observatory of the Milan Polytechnic recalls, in Italy not even one billion euros are spent on cybersecurity. A very low figure which, according to the Observatory’s estimates, will only grow by 5%. A drop that in the unstable sea in which many companies and institutions find themselves navigating is not enough to reduce hacker attacks.
How many entrepreneurs in Italy have budgeted for cybersecurity? Few, unfortunately. Just as there are still few who have set up a program to prepare their employees to face a possible hacker attack.
Hoping that attacks like Wannacry won’t happen again is a pure fantasy. On one side are the hackers, on the other are the victims, and in between are the always-connected devices. And like in a war, it is necessary to fight, investing in cybersecurity.