NewsUkrainian hackers disrupt Russian election system, targeting Putin's party

Ukrainian hackers disrupt Russian election system, targeting Putin's party

a float depicting Russian president Vladimir Putin kissing a devil  and side by side another image from Berlin Wall about kiss between former Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German leader Erich Honecker at the  Cologne exhibition center in Cologne, Germany on Feb 14, 2023 during the press preivew of carnival floats from Cologne carnival committee (Photo by Ying Tang/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
a float depicting Russian president Vladimir Putin kissing a devil and side by side another image from Berlin Wall about kiss between former Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German leader Erich Honecker at the Cologne exhibition center in Cologne, Germany on Feb 14, 2023 during the press preivew of carnival floats from Cologne carnival committee (Photo by Ying Tang/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Images source: © GETTY | NurPhoto

7:02 AM EDT, March 17, 2024

Ukrainian military intelligence computer specialists, known as HUR, successfully infiltrated the Russian state services system used for electronic voting in the presidential elections, reported the Ukrinform agency, citing a source within HUR.

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"The Russian state services page is down. The voting system has collapsed. HUR's computer experts have managed to outmaneuver all security measures. This disruption is expected to last until voting concludes," a source revealed to the Ukrinform agency.

Furthermore, the Ukrinform agency's source mentioned that cyber attacks are also being carried out on the websites of Russia's ruling party, United Russia.

United Russia Party Halts Website Operations

Earlier the same day, the United Russia Party disclosed that it had become the target of a cyber-attack, leading to the extensive shutdown of its websites.

In response, the party opted to temporarily halt less critical services to concentrate on defending against the onslaught, as reported by Reuters.

The cyber-attack occurred on Saturday, the second day of the three-day presidential election period in Russia. In this election, Vladimir Putin is contending as an "independent candidate", albeit with the support of the United Russia party.