Pro-Russian hackers reportedly target Italian Olympic venues, embassies

Pro-Russian hackers reportedly targeted websites connected to Italy’s Winter Olympics venues and Italian diplomatic missions abroad on the eve of the Games’ opening.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said security services had identified a coordinated cyberattack aimed at Winter Olympic infrastructure as well as foreign ministry offices located outside Italy, News.Az reports, citing Russian media outlet Meduza.

He said the targets included the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., along with consulates in Sydney, Toronto, and Paris.

Websites and digital systems linked to the Winter Olympics were also affected, including hotel portals in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Alps, where alpine skiing events are scheduled to be held.

Responsibility for the cyberattack was claimed by a pro-Russian hacker group known as Noname057. In a statement posted on its Telegram channel, the group said the operation was conducted in response to what it described as the Italian government’s pro-Ukrainian position. It warned that support for Ukraine would be punished through distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Tajani said there was a Russian link to the cyberattack, noting that this had been confirmed by the attackers themselves, who publicly stated their motives. He added that the attack had been successfully neutralised and did not interfere with preparations for the Winter Olympics.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev