Pro-Russian hackers target Italy for the third consecutive day in retaliation for Mattarella’s remarks

In response to Italian President Sergio Mattarella's recent comments comparing Russia to the Third Reich, the pro-Russian hacker group Noname057(16) has intensified its cyber campaign against Italy, executing multiple attacks over three consecutive days that have targeted critical financial and public infrastructure.

For the third consecutive day, the pro-Russian hacker group Noname057(16) has carried out a wave of cyberattacks targeting Italy. On Wednesday, the group's latest offensive focused on financial institutions, arms manufacturers, and public transportation companies. Among the affected entities were Mediobanca, Nexi, Benelli, Fiocchi, and Danieli.

Earlier this week, the hackers targeted around 20 websites, including those of Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, the Carabinieri, and multiple government ministries—Industry and Made in Italy, Foreign Affairs, Economy, Infrastructure and Transport, and Economic Development.

The attacks, which began on Monday, involve Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) techniques, overwhelming websites with access requests to render them inoperative.

Cybersecurity experts have described these incidents as demonstrative actions aimed at propaganda, with limited impact on actual services and operations.

Noname057(16) quickly claimed responsibility for the attacks on social media, stating that they were in retaliation for remarksmade by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who recently compared Russia to the Third Reich.

“For such comparisons of russophobe Mattarella, Italy gets DDoS missiles from us to its websites,” the group posted on X.

The beginning of the cyberattacks coincided with a renewed condemnation of Mattarella’s comments by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who warned that his words would "not go without consequences."

Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency has intervened to alert the affected companies and assist in restoring their services. In an interview with La Stampa, the agency's director, Prefect Bruno Frattasi, refrained from directly attributing the attacks to a political sponsor but acknowledged their ideological nature.

"I cannot say whether there is a political mastermind behind this, as no one leaves digital fingerprints that are clear enough," Frattasi stated. "However, these attacks have an evident ideological motivation, which the cybercriminal gangs themselves openly emphasize."

He further noted that "recurring DDoS campaigns often coincide with institutional statements, as in this case with Mattarella’s remarks," adding that such offensives are also intended to spread disinformation and undermine public discourse.

"These groups aim to portray a Western country aligned with the European stance as vulnerable," he said.