Italy’s transport and logistics sector faced a sustained wave of DDoS attacks in October, with disruptions reported across public platforms and companies. The attacks, attributed to the pro-Russian group NoName, ran for more than two weeks and caused some systems to become unavailable for hours or, in certain cases, days. The overall economic damage remains unclear.
The campaign began on October 7, when attackers targeted the Public Contracts Hub, a platform linked to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The service, operated under an agreement with Itaca and hosted on the National Strategic Hub’s servers, was restored the same day, according to the ministry. NoName was also linked to an attack on the Foreign Ministry the following day.
DDoS attacks overwhelm systems with large volumes of artificial traffic, making them difficult or impossible to access. In this campaign, the reported effects extended beyond website outages: some businesses experienced delays to orders, disrupted communications and stopped shipments.
Targets included Azimut Benetti Group, Neri Group, logistics association Confetra, Alis and container operator Lorenzini & C. Some attacks were claimed on Telegram, while specialists from Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency monitored the wave. Several affected organizations fall under the EU’s NIS2 cybersecurity rules. Some systems were fully operational again within 24 or 48 hours, while disruption lasted longer in other cases.
The campaign also coincided with attacks on Italian government institutions. On October 20, the Defence Ministry’s website was targeted. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto described the situation as hybrid warfare, referring indirectly to Russia.
Sources: Il Sole 24 Ore Italia.