Italy receives bomb threat letter from Taiwan. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Suspected university mailbox has been stolen and account has been suspended

After many schools across Italy received a bomb threat email on the 11th with the sending domain pointing to my country's Daye University, a new wave of threats broke out on the 12th, and the sending domain was redirected to other countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated today (13th) that after learning from Daye University, a preliminary check found that a large number of letters were sent to the email account of a graduate alumni, which was suspected to have been stolen or improperly used. The school has immediately suspended the account and launched an investigation.

According to foreign reports, after more than 6,000 schools in Italy received bomb threat letters signed with Russian cultural names on the 11th, 3,778 public schools across the country received a second wave of threatening emails with more aggressive wording on the 12th, even demanding the resignation of Italian Prime Minister Meloni. The "springboard" this time was no longer from Taiwan, but an email from a Filipino teacher.

Italian media quoted experts as saying that the operator behind the scenes is suspected of using international security loopholes to purchase email accounts of educational institutions in Taiwan and the Philippines that were stolen by hackers through the dark web as a springboard. The Italian government is currently investigating in the direction of "transnational hybrid warfare" and has activated a technical team to respond to potential hacker attacks.

In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated today that after relevant media reported that many schools in Italy received bomb threat emails on the 11th of this month, it was reported that Italian schools had received a new wave of bomb threats on the 12th, but the domain of the emails was directed to other countries. In addition, schools in European countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and France have also reported that schools have received threatening emails of similar nature.

In response to the threatening email received by Italy on the 11th of this month, the sending domain pointed to Daye University in my country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that after learning from the school, a preliminary check found that the email account of a graduate alumni had sent a large number of letters and was suspected of being stolen or improperly used. The school has immediately suspended the account and initiated relevant investigations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that it is paying close attention to the development of this case, has notified the relevant information to the inspection and investigation units of my country, and instructed the Chinese embassies and offices in Europe to be more vigilant and closely monitor the follow-up developments and relevant information. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will maintain close contact with our investigation units and cooperate with relevant units in various countries to trace the actual source of the threatening emails, jointly clarify the truth of the incident, and prevent transnational cyber crimes.