Our entire life, our most sensitive data, the information related to our purchases and our habits, everything about us is contained within the cell phone that we carry around with us, day and night. And everything can be scrutinized by those, like Raoul Chiesa, the most famous Italian hacker, who would have the possibility of accessing it, leaving us unaware of his 'visit'. But this is certainly not the intent of the ethical hacker from Turin who has instead been carrying out awareness campaigns for a long time on the conscious use of computer equipment, the web and social media , dedicating himself completely to network security.
Chiesa, born in 1973, before understanding the potential and risks of an irresponsible use of the web, attempted to do things bordering on the impossible. Or rather, impossible for most. In 1995, when he was little more than a teenager, he managed to get into the Bank of Italy website. He broke into one of the most secure and controlled computer systems , and it wasn't the only treasure chest of data he managed to access: the list includes AT&T, the largest telecommunications company in the world, but also Mci, Sprint and Gte, all accesses for which the United States requested his extradition.
How a twenty-year-old could have accomplished that feat was probably also asked by the public prosecutor, who sentenced him to three and a half months of house arrest without the use of electronic devices and, above all, without an internet connection. But after the conviction, another world opened up for Raoul Chiesa, still linked to cyberspace, but founded on ethical values that he is still proud of today and for which he continues to work.
After starting his first private cybersecurity agency, he received assignments such as digital forensics and consultancy in cases of cyberbullying and revenge porn, as well as work for the preventive security of states around the world. To do such demanding work with a high mental load, Chiesa has long since chosen, since 2020, Sardinia as his base .
"Where would it be possible to switch off, find yourself and the energy to work every day on complex tasks for governments, law enforcement, multinationals, if not on this island?", he says. He has chosen a place in Gallura to live, which he does not intend to reveal, and he certainly does not think about retirement. And it is also in Sardinia that he will soon carry out awareness campaigns in the high schools of Sassari, with the intention of not stopping .
"Bringing awareness of the risks associated with reckless and excessive use of the web is my goal," he explains . "All this to prevent young people, but also adults, from suffering the damage of cyberbullying for example, or revenge porn. Only good information on this powerful tool will make future generations capable of managing it in the best possible way." The hacker already has his suitcase packed and his computer under his arm: he is ready to leave for a new top secret adventure.
