This fortnightly report by Control Risks highlights key incidents during the reporting period. We examine how these incidents play into the election interference trends we’re observing and their impact on Brazilian organisations and individuals.
Election interference and disinformation incidents
- Brazil, 03 September 2024 Brazil’s supreme federal court, the federal police, and the national telecommunications agency Anatel fell victim to a denial-of-service attack that took down the websites for three to four hours. The group responsible stated the reason for the attack was the banning of X by Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Implications for elections: Government agencies will likely remain a target for cyberattacks by hacktivist groups that are against Moraes and his administration. - Brazil, 03 September 2024 Starlink decided to comply with Moraes’ order to block X in Brazil. Starlink maintains their statement that the freezing of their assets in Brazil is illegal treatment by Moraes.
Implications for elections: Supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro held a rally on Sao Paulo’s main boulevard to protest the actions taken by Moraes. They believe the ban on X is political persecution of those against the current administration. - Brazil, 30 August 2024 The Brazilian government did not warn the Ukrainian ambassador Andrii Melnyk about its support for China’s peace plan for the war in Ukraine. Melnyk expresses Ukraine’s lack of trust in Brazil after the incident.
Implications for elections: The Brazilian government will face friction on the global stage as it attempts to fill the role of a world leader and continues to strengthen its relationship with China. - Brazil, 05 August 2024 Wanderlei Barbosa, the Brazilian governor in the state of Tocantins, was under investigation in a fraud case relating to Covid-19 pandemic services not being delivered after full payment was made.
Implications for elections: The case may negatively impact public perception of Barbosa’s term as governor and the reputation of Senator Dorinha Seabra, who has supported Barbosa and plans on running in the next election. - Brazil, 2 June – July 21 2024 Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin to discuss the use of Chinese companies in Brazil’s infrastructure program. Later in July, Brazilian President Lula de Silva revealed a plan to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and cooperate in various sectors, such as mining, agriculture, infrastructure development and climate change response.
Implications for elections: Brazilian government officials will likely face increased pressure from China to join the BRI and from the US and its allies to limit China’s influence in Brazil.
Social engineering awareness
- On 9 September 2024, CloudSekNews reported on the increase of cyberattacks on the finance, government and gambling sectors in Brazil. These sectors were targeted by both politically and financially motivated threat actors. These threat actors timed their attacks during national events due to the increase in vulnerabilities. Employees of these targeted sectors should remain aware of social engineering attacks such as email and social media phishing.
Social media monitoring
- There is an increasingly negative sentiment on social media due to Moraes banning X in Brazil.
- Opposers of Moraes and his court believe they are being silenced due to X being banned.
Electoral protection in Brazil: cybersecurity training and support
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