Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
ROME – The stakes in the cyber and hybrid threat against Italian and European institutions have risen. For more than two weeks the pro‑Russian hacker group NoName057(16), believed to be closely linked to Moscow’s military intelligence (GRU), has launched an all‑out “hunt for information” on the dark web, offering cash rewards to anyone who supplies confidential data on a list of 18 figures deemed hostile to the Russian Federation.
Among the Italian targets are Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Rome’s chief prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi (formerly head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Palermo and a member of Eurojust) and the director of the Post Office Police Ivano Gabrielli. The list also includes Paolo Tassan‑Zanin, the mayor of Aviano (Pordenone), home to a major US Air Force base.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome has opened a judicial investigation into the matter, while the profiles and personal dossiers – containing phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses and details of daily routines – remain active online.
A retaliatory hypothesis: from Eurojust to Operation Eastwood
The overlap of names on NoName057(16)’s blacklist suggests to investigators a specific interpretation that goes beyond political intimidation:
- The role of Eurojust: Among the 18 targets is Michael Schmid, the current president of Eurojust. Lo Voi was Italy’s national representative at the Hague‑based judicial body from 2010 to 2014, gaining extensive experience in international cooperation.
- Operation Eastwood: In July 2025, a major international operation led by Europol, Eurojust and the police forces of 12 countries – with active support from Rome’s magistrates and the Italian Post Office Police – dismantled NoName057(16)’s IT infrastructure, seizing more than 600 servers used to carry out DDoS attacks against Nato and government targets.
- International targets: The list also includes members of the German judiciary and criminal police (BKA) such as Benjamin Krause and Holger Münch, as well as investigative journalists who are persona non grata in Moscow.
The leading investigative hypothesis therefore treats the group’s move as a targeted retaliation against those who personally helped dismantle pro‑Russian cyber networks and defend Western security infrastructure.
Tajani: “We defend democracy; we will not be intimidated”
Responding to the publication of the dossiers and reports of the bounty, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reiterated the government’s firm stance:
“Our position alongside Ukraine and in defence of democratic institutions is the political reason we have ended up in the sights of these criminal entities. Defending a nation’s sovereignty and freedom is a duty; Italy will not be intimidated and will continue to protect its cyber security and its citizens.”
Intelligence agencies and cyber experts remain on maximum alert to prevent the spread of private dossiers and stop the dark‑web threat from turning into hostile action on the ground.
