Italy's Foreign Minister Says Pro-Russian Hackers Are Publishing His Personal Data

Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said on November 7, 2026 that cyber-criminals have been publishing his personal data on the dark web, a part of the internet that ordinary search engines do not reach, for several days. In a social media post, he announced the leak. Tajani, who is also deputy prime minister, said the hackers are seeking further information about him, which he said exposes him to threats and intimidation. He added that his family is also being targeted.

Tajani said he was targeted because of Italy's support for Ukraine, which has included humanitarian and military aid during Russia's war against that country. He said he had been targeted by pro-Russian hackers over his backing for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed pro-Russian hackers for the incident and offered Tajani her full solidarity. She said the sale of confidential information about institutional representatives is a cause of serious concern and must be tackled with determination.

The incident follows earlier security measures at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, known as the Farnesina. In February 2026, Tajani inaugurated a cyber operations room, the "Sala Cyber CSIRT," meant to strengthen the ministry's response to cyber threats. CSIRT stands for computer security incident response team, a unit that handles digital attacks. The ministry said that among the main external threats it had detected were phishing, spear phishing and spam campaigns involving about 150,000 messages. Phishing refers to fraudulent messages designed to trick people into handing over passwords or other personal details.

In October, the ministry also said its website had been hit by a cyberattack, which it said had been effectively mitigated.