Sweden braces for election hacks ahead of 2026 vote

Sweden has asked its cyber agency to bolster security measures ahead of a general election next year, warning for what it called a “serious security situation.”

Cyberattacks against Sweden are on the rise, the country’s defense ministry said Friday. “Threats in the cyber domain are increasing and Sweden is far from spared,” Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said.

Sweden is holding a general election on Sept. 13 next year. Given the increase in attacks, the government has told the agency to assess the threats to Sweden, propose defenses and plan cyber exercises, it said.

European countries have braced for cyber and disinformation attacks around recent votes. These hacking and disinformation campaigns have often been linked to Russia, and disruptive cyberattacks against official websites and IT infrastructure are now common.

Romania cancelled a presidential election outcome in December due to Russian interference, while Moldova recently called in EU assistance ahead of an election featuring cyberattacks it pinned on Moscow. 

The Swedish cyber agency will report its initial findings to the defense ministry by March next year.