Brother-sister duo accused of hacking Italy's 18,000 email accounts of elite

A brother-sister hacker duo has been arrested by Italian police for developing a customised malware and hacking into email accounts of Italy's elite.

Giulio Occhionero, 45, a nuclear engineer, and his sister Francesca Maria Occhionero, 48, both of whom reside in Rome, have been charged with launching a massive cyberespionage campaign that targeted two former Italian prime ministers, a Vatican cardinal, the president of the European Central Bank and thousands of others, according to reports.

The siblings have been accused of hacking at least 18,000 email accounts, which belonged to Italian businessmen, bankers, and politicians, including former prime ministers Matteo Renzi and Mario Monti.

The FBI said it had provided support to the Italian probe into the cyberespionage campaign that targeted victims in Europe and the US. The Italian police confirmed that US authorities would help determine how the hackers infiltrated systems and stole data. Police added that the data sought by the hackers had financial value.