The audit process, within the scope of call for tenders no. 2/2022 from the National Cybersecurity Agency, has been successfully concluded. The Air Force is the first among the Armed Forces to achieve this prestigious cyber certification.
On Monday 27 November 2023, in the presence of the Commander of the 3rd Division of the Logistic Command, Brigadier General Vincenzo Falzarano, the Automated Information Systems Department (Re.S.I.A.) received the ISO27001:2017 Certification for Information Security Management Systems (SGSI) active on the site, making the Italian Air Force, in effect, the the first of the Armed Forces to meet all the necessary requirements to obtain certification within the project commissioned by the Defence Staff according to the initiative of the National Cybersecurity Agency. The activities of audit, conducted by CSQA Certificazioni s.r.l., an accredited certification body authorised by Accredia, aimed to evaluate primary and secondary information processes within the scope of the Security Operations Centre and the Computer Emergency Response Team, involving multiple aspects of Cybersecurity, such as the response to cyber incidents and Information security incident, the threat analysis process and technical infrastructure management tools.
The certification process that has concluded falls within the scope of improvements and enhancements to Cyber capabilities for Public Administration wanted from the National Cyber Security Agency, in order to achieve the milestone fixed within the PNRR.
The process began with an analysis phase aimed at identifying gap perimeter SOC of the Italian Air Force compared to framework ISO 27001, with the inventory and assessment of systems, security tools, related processes, and management tools within it. Subsequently, the process was initiated. Review and enhancement process true, which led the Team AM, supported by Accenture, in drafting the necessary documentation and the Procedures and Operating Instructions according to the criteria of the international standard. The implementation phase of the interventions, aimed at mitigating potential security risks, was completed with the refinement of the training processes on the Information Security Management System (ISMS) and internal monitoring processes.
The certification process concluded on 20 October, highlighting within the Final Audit Report the absolute value of the documentation produced, and the high level of awareness and competence in the Cyber and Information Management System field on the part of the AM personnel involved.
The handover ceremony, with General Falzarano present, marks another important moment for the Security Operations Centre of the Armed Forces, currently engaged in the final operational phases of the CYBER EAGLE 2023, An annual exercise that tests the cybersecurity capabilities of the AM SOC/CERT, allowing involved AM personnel to utilise innovative generative Artificial Intelligence tools by leveraging the immense computational capacity of the supercomputing platform available at the ReSIA Data Centre in Pratica di Mare.
The Re.S.I.A. operates under the authority of 3rd Division of the Logistics Command, with the mission of design, manufacture and maintain in operation the services and systems for the automation of functional areas, as well as to promote innovation through the research and experimentation of new technologies in the IT sector. The Department, the main Hub an IT specialist for the Air Force (AM), plays a key role in the constant digital transformation process, while ensuring the framework of Cyber Security to the IT infrastructure of the Air Force.
