Inside Italy’s cyber command as it braces for AI-driven threats to the Winter Games

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Item 1 of 5 Rear Admiral Gianluca Galasso, Head of Operations and Crisis Management of the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) gestures during an interview with Reuters, in Rome, Italy, January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

[1/5]Rear Admiral Gianluca Galasso, Head of Operations and Crisis Management of the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) gestures during an interview with Reuters, in Rome, Italy, January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Remo Casilli Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Italy’s ACN prepares for AI-driven cyber threats at Winter Games
ACN expects threats from petty criminals to state-linked groups
Focus on early detection and real-time intelligence sharing

ROME, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Inside a modern government building facing the third‑century Aurelian walls in Rome, dozens of specialists have spent the past year monitoring criminal chatter on the dark web as part of Italy’s push to shield the Winter Olympics from cyberattacks.

The National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), created in 2021, sees next month’s Milano Cortina Games as its first real test. 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.

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.

“The Olympics are a global event. We expect around three billion viewers and another one and a half million spectators with tickets,” Gianluca Galasso, ACN’s director of cyber operations and crisis management, told Reuters during a rare tour of the agency’s operations rooms.

“That visibility can attract criminal interests. It becomes a stage where actors can make a point, link an attack to a cause, or tie it to current geopolitical tensions.”