Multiple servers of Russia's Central Election Commission, the Russian state services portal Gosuslugi, and primary routers used by state-owned telco Rostelecom were compromised by Ukraine's military intelligence agency, or HUR, in a distributed denial-of-service attack coinciding with the country's unified elections that were also held in occupied parts of Ukraine and Crimea, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.
Holding such elections in occupied territories has been condemned by both Ukraine and the European Union.
"The goal was to disrupt online voting, particularly in occupied Ukrainian regions," said an HUR spokesperson.
Such an intrusion was confirmed by Russia, with CEC Chief Ella Pamfilova disclosing intermittent access to the CEC website but denying any impact on the voting process.
Overloaded routers underpinning the CEC website have also been addressed, according to Rostelecom President Mikhail Oseevsky, who also noted the planned implementation of additional cybersecurity defenses before next year's parliamentary elections.
Holding such elections in occupied territories has been condemned by both Ukraine and the European Union.
"The goal was to disrupt online voting, particularly in occupied Ukrainian regions," said an HUR spokesperson.
Such an intrusion was confirmed by Russia, with CEC Chief Ella Pamfilova disclosing intermittent access to the CEC website but denying any impact on the voting process.
Overloaded routers underpinning the CEC website have also been addressed, according to Rostelecom President Mikhail Oseevsky, who also noted the planned implementation of additional cybersecurity defenses before next year's parliamentary elections.
