ROME — Europe’s growing exposure to cyber threats, the security risks of autonomous artificial intelligence and the need for greater technological sovereignty dominated the opening day of Cybertech Europe 2026, held in Rome on October 13–14.
The discussions highlighted a shift in how governments and companies approach cybersecurity: protecting individual networks is no longer enough. The challenge is to secure interconnected systems, industrial supply chains and increasingly autonomous AI tools while preserving Europe’s ability to innovate.
Why it matters:
- Cybersecurity is becoming inseparable from national defense. Digital attacks increasingly target the connections between military platforms, critical infrastructure, suppliers and operational systems.
- AI is creating new vulnerabilities. Autonomous agents can access sensitive information, interact with corporate networks and execute tasks, raising questions about oversight and accountability.
- Europe faces a strategic dilemma. Governments want greater control over critical technologies and data, but excessive regulation could undermine innovation and competitiveness.
The big picture: Cybersecurity as strategic resilience. The message from Rome was that cyber resilience must extend beyond technology to encompass institutions, industry, defense capabilities and the people operating digital systems.
- Lorenzo Mariani, CEO of Italian defense group Leonardo, warned that cyberattacks are increasingly targeting the digital relationships and dependencies connecting military platforms, human operators, artificial intelligence and mission systems.
- “Cyber and cognitive attacks have become strategic tools capable of undermining national security, economic stability and public trust,” Mariani said.
- His argument reflects a broader concern about the growing digital integration of military capabilities. While interconnected systems can improve operational effectiveness, they also create vulnerabilities that adversaries can exploit.
For defense organizations, the priority is therefore not simply preventing intrusions but ensuring that missions can continue even when supporting networks or infrastructure are compromised.
- Mariani also called for cybersecurity to be integrated into military systems from the design stage, including an assessment of vulnerabilities across supply chains.
- Cyber resilience is increasingly a question of operational continuity, not just network protection.
Europe’s sovereignty dilemma. Technological sovereignty emerged as another central theme, linking cybersecurity to European industrial policy and strategic autonomy.
- Mariani warned that dependence on technologies, infrastructure and industrial capabilities controlled by external actors can become a strategic vulnerability during a crisis. “Dependency in times of crisis becomes a strategic vulnerability,” he said.
- But sovereignty, in his view, does not mean technological isolation. It means retaining control over strategically critical assets, including data, infrastructure, analytical capabilities, technologies and industrial expertise.
- He also identified fragmented national initiatives as an obstacle to stronger European capabilities, calling for common programs and deeper cooperation among EU member states.
The regulatory debate: Lithuanian Economy and Innovation Minister Edvinas Griksas offered a complementary perspective, arguing that Europe must balance security requirements with economic competitiveness.
- “Our main challenge in the European Union is that we regulate a little too much, and overregulation always kills innovation,” Griksas said.
- Lithuania will assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, 2027. According to Griksas, more than half of its agenda will focus on competitiveness.
- The minister argued that reducing bureaucratic barriers within the EU single market could generate savings of up to €800 billion by 2035.
- On artificial intelligence, his message was that Europe needs rules, but not ones more restrictive than those adopted elsewhere. The objective, he said, should be to keep European businesses, talent and innovation within the bloc.
AI: A new attack surface. Artificial intelligence was another recurring concern, particularly as companies increasingly deploy autonomous agents capable of making decisions and interacting directly with digital infrastructure.
- Teodoro Lio, CEO of Accenture Italy, described each AI agent as a new digital identity with potential access to corporate systems and sensitive information. “We must give agents autonomy, but not impunity,” Lio said. The distinction captures a central challenge for businesses: allowing AI systems to operate independently while maintaining human oversight and clear accountability.
Zoom in: Cisco Italy’s Renzo Ghizzoni described AI as a new attack surface that must be secured without restricting its development.
- He also emphasized the importance of digital sovereignty, particularly for organizations that need to retain control over sensitive data rather than transferring it to external cloud environments.
- CrowdStrike’s Luca Nilo Livrieri went further, arguing that AI should itself be treated as critical infrastructure. According to the company’s 2026 Threat Hunting Report, AI acts both as a force multiplier for attackers and as a potential target. Livrieri warned that the rapid adoption of AI must be matched by equally rapid improvements in security.
- Among the emerging risks he identified were voice-based phishing attacks and “cost harvesting,” in which attackers deliberately exploit AI or machine-learning services to generate excessive computing costs for the targeted organization.
The broader message from industry was consistent: AI adoption should continue, but organizations need stronger controls over autonomous agents, digital identities and access to sensitive systems.
The human factor. Despite the growing sophistication of cyber threats, basic security failures remain a major vulnerability.
- Ivano Gabrielli, head of Italy’s Postal and Cybersecurity Police, said that nearly eight out of ten cybersecurity incidents in Italy can be traced to problems involving system configurations, security procedures or the management of employees’ devices. The figure underscores the continuing importance of human behavior in cybersecurity.
- Even advanced defense technologies cannot fully compensate for mistakes made by employees and other users with access to sensitive applications and networks. Gabrielli called for greater investment in digital education and critical thinking, particularly as information manipulation becomes an increasingly significant concern.
Why it matters: Protecting critical infrastructure depends not only on sophisticated technology but also on the skills and behavior of the people responsible for operating it.
What we’re watching: The discussions in Rome pointed to three issues likely to shape Europe’s cybersecurity agenda.
- First, whether European governments can translate calls for technological sovereignty into coordinated industrial and security initiatives.
- Second, how businesses will manage the security implications of autonomous AI agents as their access to sensitive systems expands.
- Third, whether the EU can strengthen digital resilience while addressing concerns that regulatory complexity is slowing innovation.
The bottom line: Cybertech Europe highlighted a growing convergence between cybersecurity, defense, industrial policy and artificial intelligence. The challenge for Europe is no longer simply to protect its digital systems, but to ensure they remain secure, operational and under effective control as technological dependencies deepen.
