Vatican urged to create “Cyber Security Authority”

A group of Catholic computer experts, two whose services are employed by the Roman Curia, are calling for the creation of  a “Vatican Cyber Security Authority”. The proposal, which was made at the end of May in an article published on the LinkedIn social network, comes at a time when the Holy See has experienced an increasing number of cyber attacks. 

The authors of the article – Professors Chuck Brooks and Alessio Pecorario of Georgetown University in Washington, IT specialist Andreas Iacovou, and lawyer Yuriy Tykhovlis – aim to draw attention to two points. Firstly, the Vatican can no longer wait to take action on its own against the threats it is facing. Secondly, the Catholic Church should participate in the global reflection on the subject.

The authors say the “Catholic world” itself is in fact exposed to major threats. In particular, they say the Church runs the risk of having its “online donations” hacked. And they say Catholic healthcare facilities are prime targets from hackers who cease data in return for a ransom. Furthermore, they say the Holy See as a state-like entity is a target of “interference in diplomatic activities”.

“Weaknesses in the Vatican’s digital infrastructure”

In the face of these threats, a “Vatican cyber authority” could thus develop “policies and procedures to protect the Vatican’s digital assets, including its networks, servers, and databases”, as well as “identify potential cyber threats and weaknesses in the Vatican’s digital infrastructure” and provide internal training in the matter.

To be effective, the researchers recommend, this new Vatican authority should “be staffed by experienced cyber security professionals with expertise in a wide range of areas, including network security, incident response, and digital forensics”.

This group of experts, of which there is no equivalent in the Vatican today, should also “share information about cyber threats” with authorities in other governments, and contribute to global thinking on the subject.

“The Holy See is entitled to propose, discuss, negotiate, and promote a new normative paradigm on the governance of new technologies,” write the authors of the article,…