Inside Italy's cyber command as minister says it foiled Russian attack

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITE FROM HEAD OF OPERATIONS AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT OF THE ITALIAN NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AGENCY,  REAR ADMIRAL GIANLUCA GALASSO,  AHEAD OF MILANO-CORTINA WINTER GAMES / B-ROLL FROM ITALIAN NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AGENCY OFFICES RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT  SHOWS: ROME, ITALY (JANUARY 27, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY (ACN) WORKERS AT DESK  2. COMPUTER SCREEN 3. WORKER’S HAND ON MOUSE 4. ACN LOGO ON BACK OF CLOTHING 5. REAR ADMIRAL GIANLUCA GALASSO, HEAD OF OPERATIONS AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT OF THE ITALIAN NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AGENCY SPEAKING IN FRONT OF SCREEN 6. WORKERS WATCHING AS GALASSO SPEAKS IN FRONT OF SCREEN 7. MAP OF ITALIAN REGIONS ON SCREEN WITH LOMBARDY HIGHLIGHTED IN RED 8. COMPUTER SCREEN, GALASSO SPEAKING 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) REAR ADMIRAL GIANLUCA GALASSO, HEAD OF OPERATIONS AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT OF THE ITALIAN NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AGENCY, SAYING:     "Well, what we imagine is that, given the context, the attacker wants to have a visible effect, an effect that can have media resonance, precisely for the reasons I mentioned, so the risk is that the attacker could interrupt services, interrupt the use of services. For example, they could interrupt the streaming of broadcasts or disrupt the proper functioning of access to websites, access to ticket purchases, all those activities that can then be visible to the public in some way and, as such, also be claimed." 10. VARIOUS OF BOARD SHOWING CYBER SECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAMS (CSIRTs) LOGO, ACN LOGO AND ITALIAN AND EU FLAGS ON BOARD 11. ACN LOGO ON CLOTHING 12. VARIOUS OF EMPLOYEES WORKING AT DESKS 13. EMPLOYEES WORKING AT DESKS 14. CSIRTs LOGO ON BOARD 15. WORKER'S HAND ON MOUSE 16. EXTERIOR OF ACN OFFICE 17. GALASSO WALKING OUT OF  ACN OFFICE 18. EXTERIOR OF ACN OFFICE 19. ACN LOGO ON EXTERIOR WALL STORY: Inside a modern government building facing the third‑century Aurelian walls in Rome, dozens of specialists The National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), created in 2021, sees the upcoming Milano Cortina Games as its first real test. And on Wednesday (February 4) Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said they had thwarted a series of cyberattacks targeting the foreign ministry facilities, including an embassy in Washington, as well as websites linked to the Winter Olympics and hotels in Cortina d’Ampezzo.  With the Olympics drawing global attention, officials say the event is a magnet for threat actors ranging from petty cybercriminals to sophisticated, state‑linked groups.monitor criminal chatter on the dark web as part of Italy's push to shield the Winter Olympics from cyberattacks.     "We prevented a series of cyberattacks against foreign ministry sites, starting with Washington and also involving some Winter Olympics sites, including hotels in Cortina," Tajani said in remarks confirmed by a spokesperson adding "These are actions of Russian origin." The Winter Games, scheduled for February 6–22, will be held for the first time across multiple Alpine regions, adding logistical and security complications to an already complex digital environment. Gianluca Galasso, ACN's director of cyber operations and crisis management, told Reuters last month during a rare tour of the agency's operations rooms that "cyber phenomena keep growing for obvious reasons. Now there's artificial intelligence, and we expect attackers to use AI agents to support cyber operations," he said.

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