Elections increasingly attract cyber operations that target politicians, businesses and the public. These activities range from espionage campaigns against political parties targeting operations seeking to shape opinions, sow discontent or undermine democratic processes.
This newsletter, published twice a month, provides an overview of key cyber incidents and emerging threats related to the upcoming October 2026 general elections in Brazil. It offers recommendations on how organizations and individuals can mitigate and protect against these threats.
Key incidents
In this issue we focus on the following:
Voting machines used in 2024 US elections found to have security issues, but no evidence of exploitation
According to a Politico article on August 13, US administration officials in early 2026 tasked a cyber security company with investigating potential security flaws in voting machines seized from Puerto Rico. The company found a number of previously identified security gaps, but no evidence of actual exploitation.
India, Brazil sign telecom MoU to deepen cyber security, digital infrastructure co-operation
According to a Firstpost article on August 21, India and Brazil signed the agreement under the auspices of a BRICS ministers’ meeting in Pune (India) on the same day. The agreement is reportedly part of a broader push by India to enhance digital collaboration within the bloc.
42% of recent breaches of Brazilian organizations saw vulnerability exploitation as the initial access vector, followed by compromised credentials (20%), brute force attacks (9%) and phishing at just 5%.
Source: “The state of cybersecurity in Brazil in 2026: what the numbers say”, Observatorio IBRINC, June 30, 2026
Mitigation advice
- Companies should prioritize vulnerability management and remediation, maintaining a risk-based vulnerability management program that enables the timely identification, prioritisation and remediation of security weaknesses. Particular attention should be given to internet-facing systems and critical assets that could be targeted during periods of heightened cyber activity.
- Strengthen continuous security monitoring and identity and access management (IAM) policies. Organizations should ensure that their current monitoring and identity lifecycle capabilities cover the detection of compromised credentials, anomalous activity and potential exploitation attempts.
- As international digital cooperation and interconnected services continue to expand, organizations should assess the cybersecurity posture of key suppliers, technology providers and strategic partners.
- Conduct regular assessments, penetration testing and configuration reviews to identify security gaps before they are exploited by threat actors. Findings should be tracked through formal remediation plans with clearly defined ownership and timelines.
- Organizations should maintain an up-to-date inventory of hardware, software and digital assets to support efficient patch deployment and risk mitigation. Critical security updates should be prioritized to reduce the window of opportunity for threat actors seeking to exploit know vulnerabilities.
Voting machines used in 2024 US elections found to have security issues, but no evidence of exploitation
According to the August 13 Politico article, the small US cyber security company tasked with investigating the machines, Mojave Research, found a number of previously identified security flaws with the Dominion Voting Systems machines, including weak or recycled passwords and other unpatched vulnerabilities. Despite confirming that such flaws did in fact exist, the company could not find any evidence that the issues had been exploited or had any material impact on the results of the 2024 election. Dominion Voting Systems machines were also at the center of electoral fraud allegations – which have since been debunked – made by US President Donald Trump and his allies after the 2020 elections.
Potential impact: It does not appear that the same brand of voting machines are used in Brazil. It is nevertheless likely that machines to be used in the upcoming October 2026 elections are susceptible to similar flaws and potential vulnerabilities, and it is possible that motivated threat actors could attempt to exploit such vulnerabilities.
As in the case of the 2024 US elections, however, the mere existence of potential security vulnerabilities does not guarantee any actual attempts at exploitation, much less successful exploitation resulting in altered election outcomes. Similarly to the US case, it is likely that partisan and ideologically-motivated actors in Brazil will nevertheless claim fraud in the wake of the upcoming election, irrespective of whether there is evidence to support such claims.
India, Brazil sign telecom MoU to deepen cyber security, digital infrastructure co-operation
According to the August 21 Firstpost article, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is meant to create a formal mechanism for the two countries to collaborate on a number of emerging areas of technology, including cyber security, and allows for the sharing of technical knowledge and best practices. The MoU was signed on August 21 during the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers Meeting in Pune (India), with the Brazilian side represented by Communications Minister Frederico de Siqueria Filho. The agreement also encourages enhanced co-operation between the countries around research and development, including potential exchanges of personnel and technology.
Potential impact: Given the scale and speed of technological change – including developments around AI, as well as cloud and quantum computing – and the reshaping of the post-WWII global political and economic order in recent years, the emergence of new and more assertive alliances and regional blocs is only likely to accelerate. As with many countries in this increasingly uncertain world order, Brazil is likely to look for like-minded partners in a number of domains, including cyber security. As the largest democracy in the world and an emerging technological hub, India has much to offer, and best practices and lessons-learned in the cyber realm and around secure elections in the digital age are likely to be just one area for mutual sharing.
Focus on: Russian disinformation campaigns targeting European election campaigns
Russian intelligence agencies and pro-Russian disinformation groups have allegedly been active in recent weeks, targeting election campaigns in France and Sweden. This highlights the potential once again for foreign election interference.
In France, according to an article in Omni from August 17, authorities suspect that the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU) has been behind a recent smear campaign targeting French politicians ahead of the 2027 French presidential election. The disinformation campaign is alleged to have included false health information about one candidate, as well as fabricated audio deep fakes impersonating another.
According to an August 19 article on the Swedish news site SVT, a pro-Russian network spread disinformation alleging electoral fraud in Sweden, and has also made spurious accusations against Prime Minster Ulf Kristersson.
In both cases, it appears that the Russian trolls are targeting countries that are providing material support to Ukraine in its ongoing struggle against Russia.
Electoral protection in Brazil: cybersecurity training and support
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