Russian hackers attack Romanian government websites during elections

Amid the second round of the presidential election in Romania, a pro-Kremlin hacker group, NoName057(16), has launched a DDoS attack on key government websites, including the government and Constitutional Court websites.

The attack took place on Sunday, during a re-run of the vote, after the first round was declared invalid due to proven Russian interference. The websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government, the Constitutional Court and the candidates’ websites were targeted. The national cybersecurity agency DNSC confirmed the attack and reported that services had been restored.

NoName057(16), which emerged in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, specializes in simple but effective attacks using volunteers. The group is known to have attacked Dutch institutions last week in response to their military support for Ukraine.

• In December 2024, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the results of the first round of elections due to Russian interference, in particular through a campaign on TikTok. At that time, Russia used a hybrid strategy – from social networks to botnets.
• As a result of the re-run, the right-wing candidate George Simeon (AUR), who is noted for his pro-Russian rhetoric and anti-war position on aid to Ukraine, won.

Russian cyberattacks during the elections have no longer become a tool of pressure, but an outright political weapon. The case of Romania is a prime example of how cybertools are used to weaken democratic processes in Europe.