The Cybersecurity Day, an event dedicated to the main challenges of digital security, will be held in Pisa on 9 October, as part of the 2026 edition of the Internet Festival. At the centre of the day, the new European regulatory framework, artificial intelligence threats, quantum technologies, connected car security and cybersecurity training.
Now in its sixteenth edition, this year the Internet Festival has chosen #wisdom as its keyword, understood as the ability to guide behaviour and judgement through reason. In today’s context of rapid digital acceleration, this principle is essential for interpreting the changes under way and managing the complexity they bring. This is particularly relevant to cybersecurity, a field in which security depends not only on advances in technological tools, but also on the ability to assess risks and opportunities and make informed, responsible and forward-looking decisions.
The Cybersecurity Day, promoted by the Institute of Informatics and Telematics (CNR-IIT) together with Fondazione SERICS, Registro .it and Unione Industriale Pisana (Industrial Union of Pisa), will be held at the Auditorium of Unione Industriale Pisana, in Via Volturno 43, and will involve representatives of institutions, research, universities and businesses.
The event will be opened by the institutional greetings of the promoters, including Andrea Passarella, Director of CNR-IIT and Head of Registro .it.
Through keynotes, short speeches and moments for discussion, the day will offer scientific, technological, institutional and entrepreneurial perspectives on some of the most current issues in cybersecurity and ongoing transformations in the sector. The aim is to foster dialogue between different skills and experiences and to promote reflection on the current and future challenges of cybersecurity.
The new European regulatory landscape, quantum communications and AI
To inaugurate the day’s insights will be the keynote speech by Andrea Rigoni of Altirium Srl, dedicated to the evolution of security between regulations, threats related to artificial intelligence and new technologies. His speech will examine current cybersecurity scenarios and the implications of the new European regulatory framework, with particular reference to the NIS2 Directive, which is of increasing relevance to Registrars and, more generally, for all those who need to strengthen the security and resilience of their digital services.
The morning will continue with the speeches of Alessandro Zavatta of QTI Srl, dedicated to secure quantum communications, and Sara Nocentini of INRiM, who will illustrate the potential of unclonable physical functions for the development of secure authentication systems.
In the second keynote speech of the day, Stefano Zanero of Politecnico di Milano will deepen the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Following this, Stefano Di Carlo of Politecnico di Torino will analyse opportunities and vulnerabilities linked to the growing number of connected cars.
Cybersecurity training and culture
The afternoon programme will be dedicated to training, which is seen as an essential tool to meet the growing demand for specialist skills and to foster greater awareness of digital risks.
A round table moderated by Ilaria Matteucci of the CNR-IIT will be held at 2:00 p.m. with the participation of Paolo Prinetto of CINI (National Interuniversity Consortium for Informatics), Cybersecurity National Lab, Giuseppe Lettieri and Stefano Chessa of the University of Pisa and Mirko Tribastone of the IMT School of Advanced Studies of Lucca.
The day will end with the presentation of “Train the Trainer”, the project born from the collaboration between the Ludoteca of Registro .it and CINI to promote the diffusion of a culture of cybersecurity through training courses aimed at teachers.
The project will be introduced by Alessandra Nardini, Councillor of the Tuscany Region for Training and Education, and Luciano Tagliaferri, Director General of the Regional School Office for Tuscany, and presented by Giorgia Bassi of the CNR-IIT and Gabriele Costa of the IMT School of Advanced Studies of Lucca.
Participation in Cybersecurity Day 2026 is free of charge, subject to registration.