Media: Pro-Russian hackers target Italian Olympic venues, embassies

Pro-Russian hackers carried out a cyberattack on websites linked to Italy’s Winter Olympics venues and Italian diplomatic missions abroad on the eve of the Games’ opening, according to Russia’s independent media outlet Meduza.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said security services had detected a coordinated cyberattack targeting Winter Olympic infrastructure as well as foreign ministry offices outside Italy. He said the targets included the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and consulates in Sydney, Toronto, and Paris.

Websites and digital facilities connected to the Winter Olympics were also affected, including hotel portals in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Alps, where alpine skiing events are scheduled to take place.

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by a pro-Russian hacker group known as Noname057. In a statement published on its Telegram channel, the group said the attack was carried out in response to what it described as the Italian government’s pro-Ukrainian stance, adding that support for Ukraine would be punished through distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Tajani said there was a Russian connection to the cyberattack, noting that this was confirmed by the perpetrators themselves, who publicly stated their motives. He added that the attack had been successfully neutralised and did not disrupt Olympic preparations.

By Sabina Mammadli