Channel One Russia has called on Group-IB to verify the vote results of "The Voice.Kids"

Channel One Russia has announced its decision to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the final of the Russian edition of the show «The Voice.Kids». The channel has entrusted the task of verifying the vote results to Group-IB, an international company that specializes in prevention of cyberattacks and complex digital investigations.

Group-IB experts will hold an independent investigation during which they will assess the vote counting system’s information security. They will also perform a technical and forensic analysis of the calls made and text messages sent in search of potential vote manipulation, bot use, and other technological methods of unfair competition among participants.

Group-IB specialists will need to verify the integrity and security of the vote counting system, all event logs linked to the winner selection process, and whether it is possible to obtain unauthorised access to and modify data. Moreover, Group-IB will audit the results provided by the company «SMS-servisy», which—together with Channel One Russia—was in charge of the technical aspects of the voting during Season 6 of «The Voice.Kids».

We must determine whether it is technically possible to interfere with the system of voting for the winner of The Voice—that is, whether the partner company managing the calls and text messages or its employees are able to alter the vote results. Once we have determined this, we will be able to answer the question whether the system used is secure enough to guarantee that such a voting method is transparent and impartial. The second task will be to analyse the big data—that is, data relating to calls and text messages—in order to detect any anomalies, bot use, and other vote manipulation technologies.

Ilya Sachkov

CEO Group-IB

Group-IB specialists have already made steps in this direction. Details of the investigations and the methods and resources used by the experts are currently not being disclosed. The investigation results will be shared as an analytical report, which will be published in the public domain so that it can be cross-checked by third-party specialists.

Group-IB is an official partner of Interpol and Europol. The company also works with cyber police departments in various countries as part of joint investigations and operations to combat cyber, financial, and corporate crimes worldwide and bring their perpetrators to justice.

About Group-IB

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Singapore, Group-IB is a leading creator of cybersecurity technologies to investigate, prevent, and fight digital crime. Combating cybercrime is in the company’s DNA, shaping its technological capabilities to defend businesses, citizens, and support law enforcement operations.

Group-IB’s Digital Crime Resistance Centers (DCRCs) are located in the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, and Asia-Pacific to help critically analyze and promptly mitigate regional and country-specific threats. These mission-critical units help Group-IB strengthen its contribution to global cybercrime prevention and continually expand its threat-hunting capabilities.

Group-IB’s decentralized and autonomous operational structure helps it offer tailored, comprehensive support services with a high level of expertise. We map and mitigate adversaries’ tactics in each region, delivering customized cybersecurity solutions tailored to risk profiles and requirements of various industries, including retail, healthcare, gambling, financial services, manufacturing, crypto, and more.

The company’s global security leaders work in synergy with some of the industry’s most advanced technologies to offer detection and response capabilities that eliminate cyber disruptions agilely.

Group-IB’s Unified Risk Platform (URP) underpins its conviction to build a secure and trusted cyber environment by utilizing intelligence-driven technology and agile expertise that completely detects and defends against all nuances of digital crime. The platform proactively protects organizations’ critical infrastructure from sophisticated attacks while continuously analyzing potentially dangerous behavior all over their network.

The comprehensive suite includes the world’s most trusted Threat Intelligence, The most complete Fraud Protection, AI-powered Digital Risk Protection, Multi-layered protection with Managed Extended Detection and Response (XDR), All-infrastructure Business Email Protection, and External Attack Surface Management.

Furthermore, Group-IB’s full-cycle incident response and investigation capabilities have consistently elevated industry standards. This includes the 77,000+ hours of cybersecurity incident response completed by our sector-leading DFIR Laboratory, more than 1,400 successful investigations completed by the High-Tech Crime Investigations Department, and round-the-clock efforts of CERT-GIB.

Time and again, its solutions and services have been revered by leading advisory and analyst agencies such as Aite Novarica, Gartner®, Forrester, Frost & Sullivan, KuppingerCole Analysts AG, and more.

Being an active partner in global investigations, Group-IB collaborates with international law enforcement organizations such as INTERPOL, EUROPOL and AFRIPOL to create a safer cyberspace. Group-IB is also a member of the Europol European Cybercrime Centre’s (EC3) Advisory Group on Internet Security, which was created to foster closer cooperation between Europol and its leading non-law enforcement partners.

Channel One Russia has called on Group-IB to verify the vote results of “The Voice.Kids”