The study assesses the level of awareness among businesses regarding cyber risks and their ability to adopt mitigation strategies based on evidence collected from the 2016 and 2022 editions of the Survey on Industrial and Service Firms conducted by the Bank of Italy.
Nearly 90 percent of businesses are aware of the possibility of becoming the target of a cyber-attack, although this awareness does not always correspond to an adequate financial commitment to address the risks. Companies that have been previously targeted by an attack demonstrate a greater risk perception, which is associated with higher spending on prevention measures. Smaller businesses and those located in the southern regions of Italy appear to be less aware of cyber risks.
