'Russian origin' cyberattacks target Italy's Winter Olympics

Italy's foreign minister says the country has already started swatting away cyberattacks from Russia targeting the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Antonio Tajani told reporters on Wednesday that a series of cyberattacks targeted some of the government's foreign offices, including the one in the US capital. He said they were 'of Russian origin,' but did not specify whether this appeared to be state-backed activity, nor provide details about the nature of the attacks. 'We prevented a series of cyberattacks against foreign ministry sites, starting with Washington, and also involving some Winter Olympics sites, including hotels in Cortina,' he said. Tajani's comments follow a warning from the UK's cybersecurity agency not to underestimate pro-Russia hacktivists. Russia and those aligned to it have a long history of targeting the Summer and Winter Games, including the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang and disinformation campaigns surrounding the Paris Games in 2024. The Milano Cortina Games officially begin on February 6, although events kicked off on February 4.