The anonymous hacker group CikLeak claimed to have hacked the infrastructure of Russia’s Central Election Commission and its contractors working on the GAS “Elections” 2.0 system. The obtained materials were handed over to the “Vazhnye Istorii” outlet, which reported that it had confirmed their authenticity, UNN writes.
Details
According to the hackers, they gained access to internal documents, source code, as well as correspondence and recordings of employees’ conversations. Among the companies attacked was “Tsifrotekh,” a subsidiary of “Rostelecom” involved in developing GAS “Elections” 2.0.
Journalists contacted “Tsifrotekh” Director Oleksii Husiev. Asked to comment on the information about the hack, he replied that this was the first he had heard of it.
The CEC had claimed a high level of protection
The report about the hack appeared on the eve of the State Duma elections, with voting scheduled for September 18–20. This is the first federal election campaign in Russia that is to be held using the new GAS “Elections” 2.0, which was put into operation at the beginning of 2026.
Shortly before the hackers’ reports, the head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, ella pamfilova, stated that GAS “Elections” was “as protected as possible” because it operates autonomously and is separated from the global network. After an analysis was conducted, the CEC identified the video surveillance and uninterrupted broadcasting systems as the most vulnerable elements of the electoral infrastructure.
There is currently no independent technical confirmation of the scale of the alleged hack or its possible impact on the operation of the electoral systems.