Draghi Discussed Eni, GSE Hacks With Senior Officials Thursday

Daniele Lepido and Alessandra Migliaccio, Bloomberg News

Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), speaks during a news conference at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. Near-term risks to world financial stability have declined since April amid improving macroeconomic conditions and the subsiding risk of emerging-market turmoil, the IMF said in its latest Global Financial Stability Report released yesterday. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi discussed hacker attacks on oil giant Eni SpA and other energy companies with senior officials at a high-level security meeting Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter.

Draghi and his undersecretary for security, Franco Gabrielli, held discussions at a meeting of the Interministerial Committee for Cybersecurity, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions were not public. A spokesman for the Italian government declined to comment.

Eni said Wednesday its internal protection systems had detected unauthorized access to its networks, though the consequences have so far appeared to be minor. Earlier in the week, Italy’s energy agency GSE said that it suffered a breach on Sunday night and Monday morning.

Read more: Hackers Hit Italian Oil Giant Eni’s Computer Network

“Cyberattacks on Italy’s top company and energy agency are not something to be underestimated,” Stefano Mele, chairman of the Cyber Security Commission of the Italian Atlantic Committee, said in a phone interview. “The fact this happened in the space of a few days and just before elections points to coordinated attacks and explains why the premier and committee are getting involved,” he said, referring to Italy’s national election Sept. 25.

(Updates with cyber expert in final paragraph.)