Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has stated that cybercriminals have published his personal details on the dark web and are seeking further information about members of his family. In a statement on 7 November 2026, he linked the hackers’ actions to his support for Ukraine and to the strengthening of cyber security at the Italian Foreign Ministry.
- Hackers have published the personal data of Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, on the dark web.
- The criminals are looking for information about his family and are willing to pay for any new details.
- Tajani linked the threats to support for Ukraine and cybersecurity measures.
- Prime Minister George Meloni has blamed pro-Russian hackers.
- Law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation into the incident.
What is known about the leak of Tayani’s personal data?
According to the Italian minister, unknown individuals have been circulating his personal information on private sections of the internet for several days. At the same time, they are attempting to obtain further information about him and his family by offering money in exchange.
Tayani He believes that the aim of such actions is to intimidate him and pose further threats to his safety. He stated that he has no intention of changing his stance or ceasing his work because of the threats.
«I will not allow myself to be intimidated in any way», — emphasised the head of the Italian Foreign Ministry.
The minister explained that he considers Rome’s stance on Ukraine – in particular, its support for the sovereignty and independence of the Ukrainian state – to be the political reason behind the attack.
According to Reuters, in screenshots from the dark web, a photograph of Tayani was among images of 18 people whom the hackers described as hostile to the Russian Federation. This list also included specialists from cyber security.
Meloni has responded to the actions of pro-Russian hackers
Prime Minister of Italy George Maloney expressed her support for Tajana and claimed that pro-Russian hackers were involved in the dissemination of personal data.
According to the Associated Press, the Prime Minister described attempts to sell confidential information about public officials as a serious problem requiring a decisive response.
Tajani himself also linked cyber threats on the work being carried out by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen the protection of information systems. In particular, he announced the creation of a special cyber unit designed to counter such attacks.
Italy proposes discussing cyberattacks at G7 level
Following the incident, Tajani contacted the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barro proposing that hybrid threats and cyber-attacks on European critical infrastructure be included on the agenda of the forthcoming meeting of foreign ministers G7 countries.
The Italian side advocates a coordinated response by the allies to such threats.
The investigation into the personal data breach is ongoing. The exact scope of the information disclosed has not been publicly specified, and there is currently no independent confirmation of the direct involvement of Russian state bodies in this incident.
