Cybercriminals have been distributing the personal details of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on the darknet for several days, trying to obtain additional information about him and his family. They are willing to pay for such data.
The minister himself reported this in X.
He links the attacks to Italyʼs position on Ukraine: "Our position on Ukraine is the political reason why I was targeted: defending the freedom of a sovereign state, clearly standing on the side of democracy and the independence of the nation is dangerous for these criminal entities."
Among other reasons are the measures the country has taken to protect the MFAʼs cybersecurity. According to the minister, since January 1, a separate cyber directorate has been operating in the department, which counteracts cyberattacks, in particular from groups affiliated with hostile state entities.
"I will not be intimidated in any way. I will continue to work to defend my ministry and Italy," he stressed.
Tajani is most likely a victim of pro-Russian hackers. Screenshots seen by Reuters showed Tajaniʼs photo on a list of 18 "citizens hostile to the Russian Federation", which also included cybersecurity experts.
The material was discovered on a section of the darknet, accessed through the Tor network, as part of monitoring efforts by cybersecurity authorities, a source close to the minister told Reuters, adding that further investigations were ongoing.
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