According to Italy’s Postal Police, pro-Russian hackers have launched a campaign targeting the websites of Italian institutions and government ministries. The cyberattacks were confirmed by law enforcement on Friday and are believed to have begun Thursday evening. Roughly 50 different institutions reported suspicious activity or cyberattacks, including the superior council of the judiciary, the customs agency, and the foreign affairs, education, and cultural heritage ministries. Italy’s London embassy was also impacted, and the location tweeted that certain sites belonging to its government were currently inoperable. These website included the country’s foreign ministry and all of its embassy sites.
The foreign ministry apologized for any delays in services such as processing paperwork due to the cyberattack. According to Italian officials, Killnet also launched attacks against the country in early May. In that instance, the upper house of parliament, the National Health Institute, and the Automobile Club d’Italia were targeted. The US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have already issued warnings to organizations across the world outside of Ukraine about the threat of pro-Russian cyberattackers. One such threat assessment was released on April 21 and detailed information about Kremlin-backed units and cybercrime groups believed to be working for Russian interests.
Read More: Pro-Russian Hackers Hit Critical Government Websites in Italy
