Poland To Double Cybersecurity Budget To €1 Billion

Russia makes up to 50 attempts daily to damage critical infrastructure through IT systems.

Poland will increase its budget for cybersecurity measures from 600 million euros in 2024 to a record 1 billion this year. The additional spending will be made amid a sharp increase in Russian attempts to sabotage critical infrastructure, Polish Deputy Digital Technology Minister Dariusz Standerski told the Financial Times newspaper on Tuesday, September 16.

Poland is the most frequent target of Russian attacks among EU countries, he said. Russian hackers make between 20 and 50 attempts every day to damage Polish critical infrastructure, particularly hospitals and municipal water systems. 99 percent of these attempts are prevented by the Polish side.

But several cyberattacks, most of which targeted medical facilities, were successful, forcing hospitals to suspend operations for several hours. In addition, the hackers managed to gain access to medical data, the deputy minister further said.

In August, Russian-backed hackers attempted to shut down the water supply system of one of Poland's 10 largest cities, one of the largest hacking operations since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Standerski said, without naming the attacked city for security reasons. The attackers managed to penetrate the facility's IT network but were stopped before they could shut off water to residents, the official further pointed out.

Standerski noted that the government in Warsaw will allocate 80 million euros in September to strengthen the cyber defense of water supply systems. The measures come as part of a broader effort to protect public infrastructure, including systems used by 2,400 local governments.

On the night of September 10, Russian drones violated Polish airspace on an unprecedented scale. A total of 21 drones were detected by intelligence services, some of which were shot down. A significant part came from the territory of Belarus. To intercept the drones, in addition to Polish aviation, fighters of other NATO countries were involved. The wreckage of the drones damaged a residential house in the village of Wyryki near the border with Belarus and Ukraine, there were no casualties. Warsaw said Russia deliberately attacked Poland and requested consultations with NATO allies under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Afterward, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the launch of an operation to protect the alliance's eastern members. The Eastern Guardian mission will involve a variety of allied forces and assets. Among the participants are Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.

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