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 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:
Brazilian federal intelligence agency cites both US and Russian interference in presidential election
According to a Latin Times article on October 2, Brazil’s Abin agency informed a visiting EU delegation that both the US and Russia were actively interfering in the current presidential election, with the US efforts described as spanning from “lawfare to interference that is openly acknowledged.”
Trump claims rapid Brazilian vote count proves US elections are corrupt
According to a PolitiFact article on October 6, US President Donald Trump contrasted the same-day vote counting in the first-round of voting with the more extended vote counting process in several US cities, and claimed the extended period proved US elections are “corrupt.”
~159m
The number of Brazilians eligible to vote in the election, out of a total population of some 213m. Although approximately 110m Brazilians voted for either incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva or Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round of voting, some 9.3m votes were cast for other candidates who will not be involved in the runoff election on October 25.
Source: “Brazil Election Results,” Reuters, October 4, 2026
Mitigation advice
- Organizations should enhance and increase monitoring of election-related developments, including disinformation campaigns, influence operations and narratives that may impact employees, customers, operations or business reputation. Take special measures to control situations of public controversy and stakeholder's concern.
- Ensure that employees have enough awareness and training to verify politically sensitive or potentially disruptive information through trusted and authoritative sources, and before acting upon or sharing it. Define a structured verification process to reduce the impact of misinformation and limit the spread of inaccurate information within the organization.
- Senior leaders and public-facing personnel should be prepared for increased scrutiny, misinformation, or politically motivated narratives that may emerge during election periods.
- Companies should monitor for unauthorized use of corporate brands, executive identities, and official communication channels that could be leveraged to lend credibility to false or misleading narratives.
- Frequently assess existing crisis management and communications plans to include new scenarios like disinformation, political controversy, or allegations related to election integrity. Define clear escalation procedures to support timely and co-ordinated decision-making during periods of heightened uncertainty.
Brazilian federal intelligence agency claims both US and Russia are meddling in presidential election
According to the Latin Times article, Abin briefed the joint French-German EU delegation on the matter during their visit to Brasilia from September 9-11, and it appears that intelligence-sharing around potential threats to elections on both sides of the Atlantic was a prominent topic of discussion. The French delegation included representatives from Viginum, the government body tasked with detecting foreign digital disinformation efforts, and the German contingent included officials from its Federal Network Agency, which regulates telecommunications in the country.
The Brazilian intelligence agency had reportedly sent similar confidential warnings to the presidential palace, the Ministry of Justice, and the Supreme Electoral Court in late August, and had raised the overall threat level regarding US pressure on the Brazilian presidential election to “critical.”
Potential impact: The Brazilian-EU cooperation and intelligence sharing in this case points to a larger trend, as European concerns about potential Russian and US interference in their own elections has motivated efforts to study the Brazilian election as a sort of “early warning indicator.” It is highly likely that many of the same tactics and techniques used by those engaged in foreign disinformation efforts in Brazil will be used again in upcoming elections in Europe, including the French presidential election in April 2027. Such techniques were also present in past elections in Hungary and more recently in Germany, and collaboration between affected countries can be a powerful tool in countering such disinformation campaigns.
Trump claims rapid Brazilian vote count proves corruption in US elections
According to the PolitiFact article, Trump’s October 4 post on Truth Social contrasted the rapid, same-day vote count in Brazil with the vote counting process in US cities such as Detroit (MI) and Philadelphia (PA), as well as the state of California, noting that the process could sometimes take weeks to fully-unfold in the US. Trump also noted that the city and state voting populations in the US were much smaller, and, without further evidence, claimed that elections in the US were thus “corrupt.”
As noted in the article, the pace of vote counting is not in itself a sign of election irregularities, as Brazil and the US have different electoral laws and systems. Unlike the US, for instance, Brazil has no mail-in voting option, and has a single, standardized system overseen by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Brazil also uses the same voting machines across the country, and all voting occur on one day, which is a designated national holiday.
Potential impact: Different countries have different voting systems, and these differences do not necessarily signify that one system is inherently superior, or more or less corrupt. Interestingly, the same voting machines that allow for such rapid vote counting have been heavily criticized by certain elements in Brazil, both previously and during the current election cycle.
Electoral protection in Brazil: cybersecurity training and support
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