Pro-Russian Hacker Group Noname057(16) Continues Cyberattacks on Italian Sites

Rome: For the sixth consecutive morning, a pro-Russian hacker group known as Noname057(16) has launched a new wave of cyberattacks against approximately 20 Italian sites. The targets of these attacks include ministries, police forces such as the tax police, banks like Banca Intesa, and transport companies, including Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports and the ports of Taranto and Trieste.

According to Ansa News Agency, the group has consistently targeted Italian institutions, banks, arms industries, and public transport companies. The attacks have involved DDOS (distributed denial of service) tactics, aiming to render the sites unreachable by overwhelming them with access requests. This has disrupted the websites of several ministries, the Carabinieri, finance police forces, transport companies, financial institutions, airports, and port authorities.

The National Cybersecurity Agency intervened on Saturday to alert the affected parties and mitigate the impact of the cyberattacks. On Friday, the agency published guidelines on its website to help prevent such attacks in the future.

Last Monday, Noname057(16) linked its attacks to comments made by President Sergio Mattarella, who recently compared Russia to the Third Reich in relation to its invasion of Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that Mattarella’s comments would not go “without consequences.” The Italian president has not directly responded to the threat posed by Zakharova, who labeled Mattarella’s comparison as “blasphemous”.