ROME, Italy — Italian authorities have successfully intercepted a sequence of sophisticated cyber assaults allegedly originating from Russian operatives, specifically targeting critical infrastructure associated with the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed the security breach on Wednesday, revealing that the attacks impacted both diplomatic facilities—including the foreign ministry office in Washington—and Olympic venues such as hotels in Cortina.
The hacker collective Noname057, believed to have ties to Russia, publicly claimed responsibility for the coordinated distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. In a statement circulated on Telegram, the group justified its actions as retaliation for Italy’s continued support of Ukraine, declaring: “The pro-Ukrainian course of the Italian government leads to the fact that support for Ukrainian terrorists is punishable by our DDoS missiles on websites.”
Cybersecurity experts have corroborated the group’s involvement, noting that the attacks temporarily disrupted access to several hotel websites in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a key host location for the Games scheduled from February 6 to 22.
In response to escalating threats, Italy has mobilized an extensive security apparatus involving approximately 6,000 police officers and nearly 2,000 military personnel. Specialized units—including bomb disposal experts, anti-terrorism squads, sniper teams, and ski-trained police—have been deployed across competition zones stretching from Milan to the Dolomites. The defense ministry has further reinforced operations with 170 vehicles, radar systems, drones, and surveillance aircraft.
Amid these security preparations, controversy emerged regarding the presence of US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents—a branch of ICE—during the Games. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi clarified that these agents would operate solely in an advisory capacity within US diplomatic missions, with no patrolling or enforcement authority. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala had previously criticized their involvement, labeling ICE a “militia that kills,” but Piantedosi dismissed the concerns as “completely unfounded,” emphasizing that international security cooperation during mega-events is standard practice.
US Ambassador Tilman J Fertitta affirmed that HSI’s role would be limited to intelligence sharing and analysis of transnational cyber and criminal threats, with no operational duties on Italian soil.