Pro-Russian Hacker Deployed Major DDoS Attack Against Italian Targets

A pro-Russian group targeted several institutions and companies in Italy in the span of a few days with a large DDoS attack, likely tied to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Rome. 

Hackers and other groups have targeted Europe with DDOS attacks more frequently over the past few years, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The attacks usually target government institutions, but the hackers have also gone after airports and even private organizations across the continent. 

"The operation was characterized by DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks that saturate servers with access requests, temporarily blocking online services," the National Cybersecurity Agency (NCA) said in an official report. "The attacks were claimed on Telegram, underlining Italy's continued assistance to Ukraine and inviting the country to focus on its cyber security." 

The authorities have been quick to respond with a number of measures that hardened the security of the affected organizations. 

"In response to this new offensive, ACN immediately activated its team of experts, the Computer security incident response team (CSIRT), which worked tirelessly to support the affected entities, restoring the functionality of the sites and containing the effects of the attacks," the authorities added. 

Pro-Russian group is not shy

“Noname057(16)” is the pro-Russian group responsible for the attack that targeted the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Infrastructure and Transport, Consob, Carabinieri, the Navy, the Air Force, the Taranto and Trieste ports, the Intesa and Monte dei Paschi, and many others. 

According to a Security Affairs report, the group took direct responsibility on Telegram for the incidents, but offered no specifics of the attacks. They also posted screenshots of inaccessible websites and pointed directly at the meeting between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Volodymyr Zelensky. 

"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed the continuation of comprehensive support for Ukraine during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Rome, according to the Chigi Palace. According to Meloni, Italy will help Ukraine defend its interests and achieve a just and lasting peace. The talks lasted about an hour and were aimed at strengthening Kyiv's position," reads the Telegram post.