Pro-Russian hackers target Italian government websites and airports in cyberattack

Dec 28, 2024 - Italian authorities are investigating a cyberattack that temporarily disrupted several major websites, including those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and two Milan airports. The hack, which was claimed by the pro-Russian group Noname057(16), targeted the sites as part of a broader response to what the group described as "Russia's opponents" in Italy.

Italy’s cybersecurity agency confirmed that the attack was a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assault, a technique where websites are overwhelmed with traffic to cause them to crash. The agency responded swiftly, working with affected institutions to restore services. Within hours, the situation had largely been brought under control.

Despite the website outages, operations at Milan's Linate and Malpensa airports were not disrupted. SEA, the company responsible for managing the airports, assured passengers that flights continued to operate as scheduled. The airports' mobile applications also remained functional during the incident.

This attack comes amid growing concerns over cyberattacks linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as groups aligned with Russia have increasingly targeted countries supporting Ukraine. While the immediate impact has been managed, cybersecurity experts warn of the potential for further incidents as geopolitical tensions continue.