A group of hackers with pro-Russian ties on Monday attacked around 20 Italian websites, including those of prominent banks and airports.
 The Italian cybersecurity agency confirmed that the hacker group Noname057(16) was behind the cyberattack, which affected websites such as Intesa Sanpaolo, Banca Monte dei Paschi, Iccrea Banca, and Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports.
The attack appears to be a response to rising tensions between Italy and Russia.
 This comes shortly after Italian President Sergio Mattarella delivered a speech in which he drew a comparison between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the aggressive expansion of Nazi Germany before World War II.
Moscow reacted angrily to the comments, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended Mattarella’s statement.
The Italian cybersecurity agency believes the hackers were motivated by these political events when launching the attack.
Despite the extent of the attack, there were no reports of major disruptions. While some organizations, including Intesa Sanpaolo and SEA, the company managing Milan’s airports, declined to comment, Iccrea Banca confirmed that their services remained unaffected. Banca Monte dei Paschi did not respond to requests for comment.
 The same hacker group had previously been responsible for a cyberattack on Italy in December 2023, which targeted several government and institutional websites.
