Scritto da Elmec Updates Team
Stolen credentials, phishing campaigns created with AI, NIS2 and new security challenges: data from 211 Italian companies shows why security is now a matter of business resilience.
Most of attack attempts no longer come from emerging countries: Western countries are at the top of the ranking, with Italy at the third place behind Ireland and United States.
Brunello, 23 March 2026 – Cybersecurity is a strategic priority for businesses, in a landscape characterized by increasingly pervasive digitalization, rapid technological innovation and complex geopolitical scenarios. In 2025, companies faced sophisticated and rapidly evolving threats, demonstrating that cybersecurity is no longer merely a technical issue, but a key factor in ensuring business resilience and continuity.
This is the picture that emerges from Elmec Informatica’s new report,"DATA GATHERING 2026: Report on the State of Cyber Security in Italy in 2025”; a document that analyses 211 client companies and correlates the data collected during the monitoring of IT assets and infrastructure.
“We are living in a time when geopolitics and cybersecurity have a direct impact on business and everyday life,” says Filadelfio Emanuele, CISO at Elmec Informatica. “Our Data Gathering confirm a steady rise in attacks, with ransomware still at the forefront and over 60% of incidents stemming from identity compromises. In this scenario, security can no longer be fragmented: companies need an end-to-end approach, capable of combining protection with business resilience. Regulations such as NIS2 are already helping to raise the maturity level of organizations, whilst artificial intelligence is redefining response times, reducing them drastically. Collaboration between partners and the building of robust ecosystems therefore become key elements in tackling a threat that no longer has borders.”
Key findings for 2025
Global attack attempts in 2025 exceeded 678 million – one every 21.5 seconds. The main attack vectors are ransomware, compromised accounts and social engineering tactics, confirming the critical role played by technological vulnerabilities and the human factor.
Regarding the geography of attacks, compared to previous years, emerging countries and Eastern Bloc nations have disappeared from the top of the rankings, most of the attack attempts now originate from Western countries. Cyber gangs are moving to territories that are politically less suspected and possess advanced digital infrastructure and extensive computing capabilities.
The human factor remains one of the main vulnerabilities. Thanks to generative AI malicious campaigns are increasingly credible and sophisticated, achieving a click-through rate of 54%, compared to 12% for manually drafted emails. The positive news is that user training significantly reduces the risk: globally, after 12 months of structured training, susceptibility to phishing drops by 86%.
In terms of credentials, the number of compromised accounts exceeded 425 million (+18%), highlighting the critical importance of access protection. These issues reflect a widespread criticality that requires immediate action on identity management policies.
Over the experts: geopolitical landscape and business strategies
Data Gathering 2026 was the focus of the “Summit 30: Security” event, a day of training and discussion held at the Elmec Campus in Brunello (VA), which brought together businesses and cybersecurity specialists. In addition to data, discussions covered incident response, Zero Trust, Hybrid Cloud, OT security and NIS2, with the aim of integrating technology, processes and human expertise into a truly end-to-end security ecosystem.
Geopolitical analyst, reporter and writer Greta Cristini gave a talk entitled “Inside the global disorder: the new geographies of power”. She demonstrated how the rapid evolution of the international geopolitical landscape is having significant repercussions on global markets. An increasingly fragile balance, marked by a state of permanent emergency and a progressive escalation that is becoming ever more unpredictable. In this scenario, where the supply of raw materials, energy costs and trade routes are in constant flux, technological advancement remains the key factor in competitiveness, whether for countries or businesses.
Cristini also moderated the talks between Cesare Pedrazzini, CIO of Esprinet Italia; Luca Savoia, Head of Consulting Partners at Forvis Mazars Italia; Andrea Fiori, Head of IT Delivery at Elmec; and Filadelfio Emanuele, CISO at Elmec. The four speakers discussed the role of IT and its evolution from a technical function to a strategic lever for business: from fostering a culture of risk and continuous training, to protecting data and identities with a ‘security by default’ approach, right through to the informed management of the supply chain, with selected suppliers and shared responsibilities. An evolution that places operational continuity at the center, within an increasingly dynamic international landscape.
Trend for 2026: unified ecosystems and advanced security
2026 begins against a backdrop of increasingly complex and fragmented cybersecurity, where organizations are moving towards unified ecosystems capable of managing network, cloud and application security, thereby reducing the complexities arising from the integration of different systems.
In short, the challenges for 2026 are manifold: AI threats, OT security, container security and human factor management, in addition to established threats such as phishing and ransomware. It is now more important than ever to strengthen monitoring and detection systems, establish appropriate remediation processes and seize the opportunities offered by the implementation of NIS2. Regulatory compliance should not be viewed merely as an obligation, but as a genuine investment in the future of the business.
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ELMEC INFORMATICA
Elmec, with over 900 employees – including 650 specialist technicians – and a turnover of €200 million, is a Managed Services Provider offering IT services and solutions for businesses. Founded in 1971 by Clemente Ballerio and Cesare Corti to provide data processing services, today the company implements innovative projects that improve businesses’ IT processes: from user productivity through the provision and management of corporate devices, to infrastructure management and IT security. For further information, visit www.elmec.com.
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