Italy rethinks response to bomb hoaxes after thousands of schools targeted
Italy’s government said on Thursday it will introduce new measures for handling security alerts, including mass threat emails, under which buildings would generally not be evacuated unless there is concrete evidence of danger.
The announcement follows a day of disruption on Wednesday, when schools across Italy were evacuated after about 6,300 of them received bomb threats. The threats were the latest in a series of hoaxes and cyberattacks that have recently targeted schools, supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic systems and broadcasters across Europe.
Many schools closed immediately after receiving the warnings, causing widespread disruption as parents rushed to collect their children and concern spread across social media.
More alarms were reported on Thursday, and some schools were again shut down. Emails were sent to schools in regions including Veneto, Liguria, Umbria, Lazio and Sicily. Some were evacuated, while others carried out checks with pupils remaining in class.
Police in Rome said they had received reports of threats from a number of schools, on a smaller scale than on Wednesday, and that “there was nothing to substantiate them.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called opposition leaders to her office for talks on how to deal with similar incidents. “Buildings should not be evacuated in the absence of concrete elements beyond the mere receipt of a mass email that would suggest a genuine danger exists,” the prime minister’s office said.
Like Wednesday’s message, which was sent to around 6,000 schools according to one account, the Thursday emails were signed “Mikhail Andropov,” the supposed leader of the pro-Russian “Vilayat of Misoginistan” misogynistic group. One message also claimed there was a bomb at Meloni’s office at Palazzo Chigi. Sources said no security checks were carried out there because “it is clear that this is a repeat of a baseless alert,” adding: “There is no specific indication that this is a genuine threat.”
Opposition criticises cyber spending
After the two-hour meeting, opposition leaders from the centre and left said it was up to the government to come forward with proposals to address such threats. They criticised Meloni for what they described as inadequate investment in cybersecurity.
“How has the money been spent so far? Yesterday’s alarm could have been dealt with using a good antivirus programme,” said former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, leader of the centrist Italia Viva party.
Italy was not the only country targeted by the campaign, but its initial response caused more disruption. Authorities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said many schools had received similar threatening emails from abroad. They classified them as hoaxes and allowed classes to continue.
“We asked the prime minister why, in Ireland, authorities had warned schools in advance and told them to remain open because the emails were not considered a threat,” said Nicola Fratoianni of the Green-Left Alliance.
Opposition parties have accused Meloni of prioritising spending on conventional military equipment while neglecting what they say are more pressing cyber threats. “We need stronger coordination among the bodies responsible for cybersecurity, and we have proposed shifting part of the available resources towards cyber defences,” said Elly Schlein, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party.
Some European officials suspect Russia may be behind a campaign of disruption to everyday life in European nations supporting Ukraine after Moscow’s invasion. Italian officials have so far said there was no evidence of that. Russia denies involvement and accuses the West of a smear campaign.
Italy’s foreign minister says cyber threats now reach his family
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a question time session in the lower house that he had been the victim of fresh cyberattacks, including threats against him and members of his family, among them children.
“I myself have been the target of cyberattacks, which included a bounty being placed on me,” said Tajani, who revealed at the weekend that his personal data was among those of several Italian officials published on the dark web by cyber criminals.
“Today, I received further acts of intimidation that did not spare any member of my family—including minors; the very same bounty that concerns me has been placed on them as well,” he said.
Tajani has blamed the cyberattacks on pro-Russian hackers and linked them to Italy’s support for Ukraine following Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
