{
  "id": 8036348,
  "title": "Russia upgraded the system that tabulates its election results. Experts found vulnerabilities that could be exploited to manipulate the vote.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/russia-upgraded-the-system-that-tabulates-its-election-results",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-17T14:27:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/09/17/russia-upgraded-the-system-that-tabulates-its-election-results-experts-found-vulnerabilities-that-could-be-exploited-to-manipulate-the-vote"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russian hackers stole sensitive files from Tsifrotek, the company behind GAS Vybory 2.0, the country's new vote-counting system. This system is being used in the country's federal election for the first time. Experts have found serious vulnerabilities in the system that could allow manipulation of the vote. GAS Vybory 2.0 is an electronic platform that gathers results from Russian elections and referendums. It's distinct from DEG, a remote voting system, as GAS Vybory counts both online and at polling stations. The system's developers have been working on it for over a decade with little success, despite spending 20 billion rubles. When it officially launched in 2026, the system still had many bugs, such as reporting more election commissions than there actually were. The investigation found that the system lacks protection against protocol substitution and allows direct access to voter lists, which could be exploited to inflate the number of participants in the electronic voting group.",
  "summary": "Hackers have breached Tsifrotek, the company behind GAS Vybory 2.0, Russia’s upgraded vote-tabulation system, which is being used in a federal election for the first time this year. The hackers gave the files to the investigative outlet iStories, which analyzed them with the help of technical and election experts. Meduza summarizes iStories’ investigation into how GAS Vybory 2.0 works and what…",
  "key_points": [
    "Tsifrotek hacked for election system data",
    "GAS Vybory 2.0 used in federal election",
    "Vulnerabilities allow vote manipulation"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}