In October, the chapter organized the seminar "5G Ecosystem and Cyber Security in Civil and Military Contexts." It was the first event in person since February 2020, when the pandemic started.
Interesting and innovative topics related to 5G technology were discussed. The increase of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in communication networks and critical infrastructures has increased the risk of cyber attacks of various kinds. Therefore, the seminar was an opportunity to provide a broad overview of the topic, in both civilian and military contexts, in an integrated cybersecurity scenario with new authentication and encryption techniques.
At the opening of the event, Maj. Gen. Erich Staudacher, GEAF (Ret.), general manager, AFCEA Europe, presented awards to the longest-serving members of the chapter for 15, 25, 30 and 40 years.
Nicola Blefari-Melazzi, professor, University of Rome, started by highlighting the complexity of security issues in the new context of 5G, determined by the considerable increase of the attack surface, in terms of quantity and types of attackable resources, to which we try to respond with security procedures adaptable to specific needs.
Col. Marco Pallone, defense general staff, illustrated how the Italian defense, in the face of the evolution represented by 5G technology, is developing its own strategic vision that will have to increasingly transpose opportunities and risks of 5G in favor of contexts of use and objectives very different from those for which it was originally conceived.
Guido Bottale, Leonardo, outlined how 5G is an enabling technology in multidomain operations, providing hyper-connections that allow information exchange in volumes and at speeds previously not possible, but with new security issues that must be resolved to ensure effective and robust integration in defense scenarios.
Luca Salamone, NAD, highlighted how cyber technologies and new generation standard communication technologies are an enabling element for national strategic technological paths of the 5G battlefield. In this perspective, the PNRM has collected several proposals from universities, companies and research centers, funding many projects contributing to outlining a trend of high-level innovation.
Col. Valerio Golino, Italian army general staff, gave a wide overview of the application of 5G technology in the activities carried out by the Italian army, both in the communication and information system and in the tactical land operations.
Stefano Della Valle, Teleconsys, focused on the need to ensure, for IoT platforms that exploit 5G technology and the potential of artificial intelligence algorithms, the absolute certainty of the origin of information and, concurrently, the impossibility that such information is manipulated during the different phases of the process.
Simone Santi, Fortinet, highlighted how the achievement of an effective security level cannot disregard a careful analysis of the change and evolution of operational scenarios; in this context, technologies based on zero trust and SASE can represent the right approach to respond to such challenges.
Marco Braccioli, Digital Platform, ended by focusing on the security aspects of IoT networks and the importance of having a national industrial policy to avoid depending on foreign players in a strategic sector.
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