RBC

Russia Mulls Mandatory Two-Week IMEI Registration for Foreign Smartphones via Gosuslugi

Russian authorities are discussing a new rule requiring owners of smartphones imported without customs clearance or purchased abroad to register the devices through the Gosuslugi portal within two weeks. Failure to register would result in the device being blocked from Russian mobile networks. The Ministry of Digital Development is preparing the requirements, which remain under discussion with possible changes to timelines and details. Devices already operating in Russia before April 2027 would be exempt and continue working without restrictions. Officially imported equipment would be added to the registry automatically. The measure is expected to significantly impact gray-market sellers, potentially forcing up to 70 percent of them out of the market and driving price increases of up to 40 percent for some models.

MegaFon Reports 34% Rise in Russian Mobile Malware Infections Driven by Android Trojans

MegaFon monitoring data shows a 34% year-over-year increase in Russian users with detected mobile malware during summer 2026, with the sharpest spike of 77% recorded in August. The growth is primarily attributed to Android trojans capable of installing apps without user consent, intercepting notifications, enabling remote access, and stealing personal data. At the same time, blocked suspicious calls dropped significantly, by 31% in June, 41% in July, and 75% in August, which the operator links to state and corporate anti-fraud measures. Scammers are adapting by hijacking messenger accounts through social engineering, malware, and even rental schemes, often combining calls with fake app installations that deploy spyware. Phishing remains active, with 30% of detected malicious resources tied to investments and crypto, 21% to social networks and messengers, and 9% to harmful APK files. Director Sergey Khrenov noted that smartphones are increasingly used as tools by the attackers themselves in these hybrid schemes.

Russia Plans Additional Security Checks for Gosuslugi Portal Access

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has directed the Ministry of Digital Development to develop extra authentication measures for the Gosuslugi portal used by 120 million citizens. The new controls would apply both to initial logins and to account recovery procedures. Details on the exact checks and implementation timeline remain unspecified as the ministry must first propose a concrete mechanism. In parallel, officials are preparing a third package of anti-fraud measures that includes a unified consent platform inside Gosuslugi for managing personal data processing permissions. The platform would let users view which organizations access their data, revoke prior consents, and report violations. Russian police have separately warned that fraudsters are already exploiting the topic of account protection by sending messages that threaten blocking or data leaks and urge victims to call provided numbers.

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.