In 2023, in Italy, cyberattacks will decrease but those linked to the international context will increase. They were registered during the year 11.930 cyber attacks to critical infrastructures, institutions, companies and individuals, marking a drop of 7% compared to 2022. However, online fraud and cases of sextortion (especially among minors) are increasing while 40 million euros have been stolen through phishing.
They are the data of Report 2023 on the activity of Postal Police and Communications and Cyber Security Operations Centers.
The IT security investigations led to 220 people being investigated, recording a decrease of 34%, while 75.956 alerts were issued. Additionally, 178.000 sites were monitored for possible extremist threats, with 236 reports; 2739 sites blocked for child pornography.
Cyberspace new battleground
The Postal Police Report indicates that, in addition to the criminal threat, an origin of the attacks also from state actors is steadily consolidating, attributable to geopolitical instability.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict highlighted the crucial role of cyberspace, as a new battleground for new wars.
Le Russian hacktivist offensives, especially the group NoName05, hit Ukraine and NATO countries, including attacks against government facilities, the healthcare sector, local transport, banking institutions and telecommunications providers in Italy. The group of activists has launched several attacks against Italian entities in protest against the country's politics, labeled as "Russophobic".
In parallel, in the Israel-Hamas conflict, hacker groups have targeted Israeli critical infrastructures, causing disruptions even in Western countries such as Italy, perceived as close to the Israeli cause.
Terrorist content is proliferating
In 2023, they were 178.756 websites linked to international religious extremism monitored, racial extremism, and antagonistic or anarchist movements. The report indicates 236 cases treated, with 2.670 virtual spaces blacked out.
The report highlights that the online communication platforms, social networks and messaging apps have become the main channels for diffusion of propaganda content of various kinds. This increase has led to a significant proliferation of terrorist content, including that of Islamist origin, far right (neo-Nazism, neo-fascism, suprematism), far left (armed movements, anarchists, antagonists), and separatists.
Web monitoring has highlighted the qualitative degradation of jihadist propaganda over time, attributed to the disappearance of the Caliphate and the losses of technical personnel and social media managers. The increasingly widespread use of algorithms and artificial intelligence on major web platforms has been reported as a factor in the scanning and removal of content posted by users.
Online fraud is increasing
They are increasing online scams, recording an increase of 6% compared to the previous year with 16.325 cases. The investigations involved 3.571 people, with over 137 million euros stolen. The Postal Police intensified prevention activities through active monitoring of the network and combated online predatory activities, reporting over 3.500 people, especially in the e-commerce sector.
In the context of online scams, the report highlights a notable increase in fraud related to fake online trading, with 3.360 cases handled, 188 people reported and illicit profits amounting to 109 million euros.
There is an increase in portals offering speculative programs and the use of sophisticated techniques to contact victims.
Cases of cyberbullying are decreasing
The postal police report dedicates a chapter to cyberbullying, reporting that they were treated in the year just ended 284 cases of cyber and social bullying. However, there has been a decrease in minors reported to the judicial authorities, going from 127 to 104 compared to the previous year. Data analysis indicates that the normalization of children's habits may have contributed to this decrease, with the return to a social life without restrictions post-Covid emergency. This is hypothesized to have had a positive impact on the quality of social interactions and peer relationships.
Child pornography and solicitation
In 2023, they were 28.265 web spaces examined, of which 2.739 were blacklisted and blacked out for child pornographic content. Despite a slight decline in cases of online grooming, the prevalent participation of minors between 10 and 13 years old was confirmed, with 206 techno-mediated sexual interactions out of a total of 351 cases.
The report highlights a gradual increase in cases of lured children under the age of 9, attributed to children's early exposure to IT tools. In the period considered, 31 minors under 9 years of age were lured online, representing 9% of the cases handled by the Postal Police.
Social network e online video games emerge as i main contact contexts risky among minors and adults.
Instead, they are 9.433 online crimes against the person, ranging from stalking and defamation to threats, revenge porn, harassment, sextortion, illicit data processing, impersonation, hate speech and suicidal intentions. A 3% increase compared to the previous year.
The Postal Police intervened directly in 31 Code Red cases to combat online crimes against individuals. Specific initiatives have been implemented to prevent and combat acts of intimidation against journalists, with monitoring services on websites, digital platforms and social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Pinterest and Youtube) to limit the spread of hate speech.
