MILAN, Feb 5, 2026, 18:38 CET
- Italy says it stopped cyberattacks on foreign ministry networks, including an embassy in Washington, and on Milano Cortina Winter Olympics-related targets
- Officials offered few details on how the attacks were carried out or who was behind them
- A U.S. security official said cyberattacks remain a daily threat as the Games open in Milan on Friday
Italy has foiled a string of cyberattacks that hit its foreign ministry network, including an embassy in Washington, and websites linked to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and hotels in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday. He called them “actions of Russian origin.” Reuters
The attempted intrusions came with the Winter Olympics moving into its busiest stretch, with the opening ceremony due on Friday at Milan’s San Siro stadium and the first curling matches already under way in Cortina. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told parliament 6,000 security officers were being deployed across venues stretching from Milan to the Dolomites. Go
A senior U.S. security official in Milan said on Thursday, “Right now we are not tracking any credible threats,” but listed cyber as a top worry around major events. He said networks can face up to 1,000 DDoS attacks — “distributed denial-of-service” attacks that try to knock sites offline by flooding them with traffic — in a single day. Reuters
Tajani, speaking during a trip to Washington, said authorities had blocked attacks against foreign ministry sites “starting with Washington” and also against Olympic-linked targets, including hotels in Cortina. He did not describe how the attacks were detected or whether any services were disrupted.
Officials have not released evidence publicly to back up Tajani’s attribution, and cyber incidents can be hard to pin on a specific actor quickly. Even when systems hold, repeated attacks can still cause outages and confusion, especially for sites that handle travel, hospitality and basic Games information.
Piantedosi, outlining Italy’s broader security posture for the Games, dismissed criticism over the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel supporting American delegations, saying they would not police Italian streets. He called the controversy “completely unfounded” and said Italy would deploy 6,000 police, including bomb squads, canine anti-sabotage teams, alpine units and anti-terror operatives. Reuters
The U.S. official, Tim Ayers of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, said the main fear for security planners remained a lone-actor attack — a single person acting without a wider network — because it can develop with little warning. He also flagged drones as a concern at a Games spread across a wide area, though he said Italy’s airspace control looked strong.
Several protests are expected in the coming days, and Ayers said demonstrations in Italy are often registered in advance, giving police more time to plan routes and keep athletes away from trouble.
Russia and Belarus are not represented as nations at the Games, though some athletes can be cleared to compete as neutrals, according to published guidance and background reporting. Independent Britannica
The Winter Games run from Feb. 6 to 22 across northern Italy, with organizers and security services now treating cyber threats as part of the daily grind, not a side issue.
