DDoS attacks surge during Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games

As reported by CSO Online, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games experienced a significant surge in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, with Italian infrastructure facing a 181% increase in attack volume compared to the previous year. Attackers leveraged the event's calendar, escalating their activities in the weeks leading up to and immediately following the games.

During the Winter Games period, from February 6 to February 23, 2026, attack volumes were six to 10 times higher than historical levels, peaking at over 2,200 attacks on February 23. The hacktivist group NoName057(16) claimed responsibility for a significant portion of these attacks. Attackers employed a tactical shift from high-bandwidth attacks before the games to high-throughput attacks during the event, primarily utilizing UDP flooding, which was present in 85% of attacks.

Targets were concentrated in Milan and Cortina, including hotels, ski sites, consulates, and defense facilities. The DDoSia platform, associated with NoName057(16), and the Aisuru IoT botnet were identified as key tools used in these campaigns. This event highlights how major international gatherings can become predictable windows for coordinated cyber threat activity, significantly elevating the DDoS threat landscape.

Source: CSO Online