The Bank of Italy has announced it has signed an agreement with the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) in an effort to bolster its defences against cyber threats.

According to a central bank statement, the agreement will permit the exchange of information regarding “attack techniques, tactics and procedures or prevention and prevention technologies” according to a central bank statement.

The Bank of Italy went on to add that this was the first time the National Cybersecurity Agency, which was set up in 2021, has reached a cooperation and exchange of information agreement with another state body, Reuters news agency reports.

Attacks against governments and businesses have experienced an uptick over the past few months, particularly following the war in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions against Russia.

Although the European Commission proposed strengthening cyber defence around a month ago – due to recent attacks on energy, transport and communications sectors - back in May, ACN had submitted the €623 million plan for the national cybersecurity strategy, Italy 24 News reports.

The agreement penned between ACN and Italy’s central bank provides for collaboration to “raise the level of cyber resilience of the respective areas of competence” via the exchange of information and the making of “virtuous synergies for protection from the cyber threat.”

In addition, it will “allow the Agency to increase the effectiveness of prevention and protection actions against cyberattacks through cooperation and information exchange with the Bank which, through its Institutional CERT (CERTBI), has reached a high degree of maturity, recognised nationally and internationally, in cyber threat intelligence activities applied to preventive, proactive and reactive defence.”