Suspected pro-Russian hackers target Italian foreign ministry website
Italy's foreign ministry said a distributed denial-of-service attack on its website on Thursday was blocked by its security systems, with no disruption.
The website of Italy's foreign ministry, known as the Farnesina, was targeted by a cyberattack on Thursday, Italian news agencies reported. The ministry said its security systems had mitigated the attack and that it caused no disruption to its work.
Italian news agencies said the attack was probably the work of NoName057(16), a pro-Russian hacking group, according to Euronews. The ministry described the incident as a distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attack, in which attackers flood a server with fake requests to try to overwhelm it. The ministry said it was monitoring the situation together with Italy's National Strategic Hub and other competent state bodies.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said cybersecurity was a core part of a ministry reform approved last year. "We have taken all the necessary countermeasures, including technological ones," he said. He added that Italy would work with Romania and other EU states to push, at upcoming European meetings, for mechanisms to formally identify those responsible for cyberattacks on European institutions, including Italian ones.
What we know
- 2+ outlets · Index.hr, Dan The Farnesina's website was targeted by a cyberattack on Thursday, Italian news agencies reported.
- 1 outlet · tportal The foreign ministry said its security systems blocked the attack and there was no disruption to its work.
- 2+ outlets · Index.hr, Dan Italian agencies said the attack was probably carried out by pro-Russian hacking group NoName057(16), according to Euronews.
- 1 outlet · tportal Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy will push, with Romania and other EU states, for a mechanism to identify those behind such attacks.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Tajani said cybersecurity was now a core part of a ministry reform approved last year, during which Italy has strengthened its ability to prevent, monitor and respond to threats to its systems. He said Italy would work with Romania and other EU states to push, at upcoming European meetings, for mechanisms to formally identify those responsible for cyberattacks on European institutions, including Italian ones.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 3 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Free during the launch: create an account →Log inHow we rate sources
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Launch offer: free for members until 31 October 2026
Questions and answers
- What happened to the Italian foreign ministry's website?
- It was hit by a DDoS cyberattack on Thursday, which the ministry said its security systems blocked without disrupting its work.
- Who is believed to be responsible?
- Italian news agencies said the attack was probably carried out by the pro-Russian hacking group NoName057(16), according to Euronews.
- Did Italy's government respond?
- Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy would push for an EU mechanism to identify those behind cyberattacks on European institutions.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.