Milan

Milan is a malicious software, or malware, that has been linked to the OilRig cyber-espionage group. The malware was updated and deployed alongside other backdoors such as Shark, DanBot, and Marlin in 2021. Milan shares similar communication schemes with other OilRig backdoors, notably using URIs with simple upload and download schemes for interaction with its command and control server. This overlaps with the Solar backdoor and the backdoors used in the Out to Sea operation, which also use "d" for download and "u" for upload in their URI schemes. In 2022, Milan became a significant target of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, enduring over 5,000 such attacks, the highest in Italy. This suggests that the malware had a considerable presence and was actively being used for illicit activities. A private intelligence firm based in Milan got entangled in an Italian hacking scandal around the same time, suspected of conducting hacking activities for international clients, possibly indicating a connection with the widespread deployment of the Milan malware. The Milan malware's impact extended beyond just cyber espionage. It allegedly facilitated unauthorized access to government databases, creating a serious threat to democracy. Prosecutors in Milan claimed that Equalize, a private investigation firm headed by Gallo, might have obtained data on approximately 800,000 individuals from a police investigations database through a backdoor, potentially created by Calamucci. This incident underscores the extensive damage that can be caused by sophisticated malware like Milan when utilized by malicious actors.