Topic
Gosuslugi
Paper Mail Combined with Phishing: Russians Targeted by Fake FNS Tax Portal Copies
Fraud & Social Engineering
Digital Surveillance in Your Pocket: Audit Uncovers Tracking and Weak Cryptography in 11 Top Russian Android Apps
Privacy & Surveillance
Russian Ministry Certificates Enable Potential State MITM on Foreign Domains
Privacy & SurveillanceHow to Submit Documents for Online Master's Programs via Gosuslugi: Complete Guide
The admission campaign for online master's programs at partner universities is nearing its end, with less than a month remaining for applicants. Yandex Practicum provides a detailed walkthrough on using the Gosuslugi super service to submit applications entirely online without visiting admissions offices in person. The process covers selecting programs at institutions such as ITMO and MEPhI, uploading required documents like diplomas and passports, and tracking application status through a personal account. Specific deadlines are outlined for 2026, including final document submission dates in late August for programs in areas like DevOps, AI solutions, and cybersecurity. Additional steps include arranging entrance exams, signing contracts remotely, and accessing state-supported education loans at a 3% interest rate. Common pitfalls such as unverified accounts or unreadable document scans are highlighted to help applicants avoid delays.
Russia's Ministry of Digital Development to Bind M2M SIM Cards to Devices and Restrict Unauthorized Calls Starting 2027
The Russian Ministry of Digital Development has proposed new regulations requiring companies and individual entrepreneurs to register M2M SIM cards and associated equipment in the ESIA system. The rules, scheduled for launch on September 1, 2027, aim to combat fraud by preventing the misuse of these cards for anonymous calls and mass messaging. Each M2M SIM card will be strictly tied to a specific device, with changes to identifiers allowed only once per month except in cases of loss or damage. Operators will gain access to a unified platform for managing SIM cards, including activation, deactivation, status checks, location tracking via base stations, and service suspension for discrepancies. All relevant data such as owner INN, operator details, equipment type, identifier, and installation address must be submitted through Gosuslugi or operator platforms. Voice calls will be limited to one minute, white lists for contacts can be updated monthly, and mass SMS or auto-dialing will be banned except for authorized senders.
Russia's MinTsifry Proposes Hosting Providers Detect and Report Disguised VPN Services
The Russian Ministry of Digital Development is discussing measures to strengthen oversight of VPN services that mask themselves as legitimate websites and hide their IP addresses from official blocklists. Hosting providers would be required to independently identify suspicious IP addresses and report them to regulators for potential blocking. The proposal also introduces a tiered trust system for hosting clients based on the strength of their identity verification. Users authenticated only via phone or bank card could have services terminated within 30 minutes upon violations, while those verified through Gosuslugi or biometric systems would receive more time to resolve issues. Non-compliant hosting providers risk being labeled as unreliable, resulting in restrictions that limit client access to a narrow whitelist of approved resources such as government portals, banks, and marketplaces. Industry participants warn that these restrictions could worsen IPv4 address shortages and drive legitimate businesses toward foreign hosting providers.
Natalia Kasperskaya Advises Against Mass Biometric Rollout in Russia Citing High Costs, Reliability Issues and Deepfake Threats
Natalia Kasperskaya, president of InfoWatch and chair of the Domestic Software association, has warned that widespread deployment of biometric authentication across Russia would be both prohibitively expensive and insufficiently reliable. She argued that systems such as face recognition, which rely on creating detailed digital models from tens of thousands of points, require enormous computing power and data storage when scaled nationally. Kasperskaya highlighted practical limitations including poor camera quality, inadequate lighting and low-resolution source images that can prevent accurate recognition, especially on older smartphones. A growing concern she raised is the rapid improvement of deepfakes, which are becoming increasingly difficult for both humans and systems to distinguish from genuine images, thereby opening new avenues for fraud. She recommended using biometrics only in limited, high-value scenarios as a supplementary verification method rather than a universal replacement for other authentication techniques. The remarks come as Russia already operates the Unified Biometric System that enables access to Gosuslugi, electronic signatures, eSIM issuance and certain banking services.
Russia to Mandate Gosuslugi Authentication for Hosting Providers, Further Reducing Anonymity in Runet
The Russian Ministry of Digital Development (MinTsifry) is advancing plans to require all hosting providers to identify clients exclusively through the Gosuslugi portal and the ESIA system. The measure aims to ensure that every allocated IP address is linked to a verified individual, going beyond current methods such as email or bank card verification. This approach mirrors the identification rules already enforced since September for .ru, .рф, and .su domain registrations and renewals. Industry reactions are divided: while some providers like Turbo Cloud support the initiative for combating fraud, others warn of high implementation costs and significant client losses. Smaller users, including students and independent developers, may migrate to foreign hosting services, and foreigners could face restricted access without alternative verification options.