Italy Thwarts Russian Cyberattack Targeting Olympic Sites

Italy foiled a series of cyberattacks targeting government and Olympic sites, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced Wednesday. “These are actions of Russian origin,” Tajani said, according to remarks confirmed by a spokesperson. He said Italian authorities blocked attacks against foreign ministry facilities, including an embassy in Washington, D.C., as well as websites associated with the Winter Olympics and hotels in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Winter Olympics are set to begin in Italy later this week, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday. Russia has been barred from competing at the Winter Olympics amid the Russia-Ukraine war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022. A limited number of Russian athletes are allowed to participate as neutrals. Weeks into his second stint in the White House, President Donald Trump signaled that his administration did not view Russia as a cyber threat to U.S. national security or critical infrastructure, a position some experts warned at the time could increase vulnerability to hacking attacks. In a speech at the UN last February, Liesyl Franz, a State Department cybersecurity official, cited concerns about potential cyberattacks from China and Iran, but did not mention Russia.