Italy’s Parliament confirms cyberattack on Chamber systems

Italy’s Chamber of Deputies confirmed that its IT systems had been targeted and that it activated security measures with the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN). Media reports said three parliamentary email accounts were affected, including accounts associated with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, former Justice undersecretary Andrea Delmastro and lawmaker Paolo Formentini. Palazzo Chigi said Meloni’s account was not the one she uses for government communications.

The Chamber said the incident had no emergency implications, while noting that cyber pressure on its systems and other Italian, European and international institutions had intensified in recent days.

Authorities have not publicly set out how the attack was carried out, whether attackers gained access, or whether messages or other information were taken. The distinction between an attempted intrusion and a confirmed compromise remains unresolved. The outlet notes that access to email could expose contacts, discussions and institutional routines, and could potentially support impersonation, targeted phishing or further attacks; these are risks, not confirmed outcomes of this incident.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry was hit by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on 8 October, which media reports linked to pro-Russian actors. The outlet said there is no public evidence connecting that incident to the Chamber attack, and no evidence establishing a foreign government’s role or a coordinated influence operation.

It called for investigators to clarify the extent of access and any data exposure, and for authorities to explain what protective measures were taken and address any weaknesses they identify.