An exercise aimed at testing the cyber resilience of platform system networks took place in the Tyrrhenian Sea aboard the Italian Navy’s aircraft carrier Cavour. Specifically, crews from the Italian and French navies were able to estimate how much a cyberattack could affect the operation of naval platforms, civilian and military, and mission accomplishment.

The test, which took place as part of the Mare Aperto 24/Polaris exercise, is the result of a partnership that DEAS Spa – a key player in the development of the armed forces’ offensive capabilities in cyberspace – has forged with the Fincantieri Group, leader in the manufacture of naval, cruise and offshore vessels and supplier of advanced, cyber-resilient technologies in the military and civilian sectors. During the exercise, the crews of the Italian and French navies, in addition to having to compete in the traditional domains (sea, land and sky), got to share the experience of managing military operations, between strategies and technology, in the new futuristic battlefield immersed in the challenging cyber dimension.

Simulated cyber scenarios led to the development of “Archimedes,” a product capable of generating cyber-attacks designed to maximize kinetic effects on navigational parameters and assess the responsiveness of crews. “Archimedes” is named after the famous buoyancy, the founding principle of buoyancy. The test, developed in real time, coordinated with cyber-attacks impacting simulated physical processes, allowed crews to assess how defenses can be penetrated and what are the best response strategies in an integrated conflict context. The findings of the maneuvers will have a strong value not only in the military, but also in the civilian sphere, which is increasingly the protagonist of physical and cyber-attacks, as confirmed by the latest events in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

These exercises allow a qualitative leap in the preparedness of the Armed Forces, representing an effective laboratory to test “live” some emerging technological solutions and the resulting innovative doctrines in the new context of hybrid conflicts. They offer a glimpse into the future not only of maritime warfare, but also of civil and commercial naval sector protection.

In this context, the cooperation between DEAS and the Navy, expanded through the partnership with Fincantieri, represents an important step forward for the research and implementation of next-generation technological systems, capable of facing the most modern security challenges in the cyber domain, innovating and significantly increasing the resilience of our country,” said Stefania Ranzato, Sole Director of DEAS.

Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Fincantieri commented, “In its new industrial plan, Fincantieri intends to broaden its integrator competencies from the physical domain to the logical domain of the ship, which now increasingly represents a “system of systems” and a digital asset. Cyber security is, therefore, an extremely obvious example of how the levels of automation and digitization of new ships require a strong focus on cyber threats to the ship’s intrinsic security. Collaboration with the Navy, partnerships with industry leaders and exercises such as today’s will enable the consolidation of a series of products and solutions that, once implemented in naval defense, can be successfully extended to the civilian sector, with a dual perspective typical of Fincantieri’s DNA.”