Poland boosts cybersecurity to €1B after Russian hacks on hospitals and water systems
Poland is increasing its cybersecurity budget to a record €1 billion after a surge in Russian hacking attempts, including attacks on hospitals and urban water supplies.
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Poland is increasing its cybersecurity budget to a record €1 billion after a surge in Russian hacking attempts, including attacks on hospitals and urban water supplies.
- The budget for cybersecurity has increased from €600 million last year, to €1 this year.
- Cyberattacks on hospitals and water infrastructure come after a serries of other provocations, such as drones entering the Polish airspace.
- Although the number of cyberattacks is increasing, Poland manages to stop about 99% of them.
The budget increase, up from €600 million in 2024, comes after hackers broke into the IT system of the water supply in one of Poland’s biggest cities, which is not specified due to security concerns.
Fortunately, the hackers were stopped before they could cut off residents' water supply. Still, it’s one of the most serious cyber incidents so far, and Russian hackers have shown a pattern of attacking Polish water supply systems.
Cybernews has previously reported that Russian hackers targeted a small hydropower plant in the country, disrupting its control systems. In just the last couple of months, cybercriminals have launched attacks on water treatment plants in Szczytno, Sierakowo, Witków, and the sewage treatment plant in Kuźnica.
Now, deputy digital affairs minister Dariusz Standerski told the Financial Times that Poland faces between 20 and 50 sabotage attempts daily. Hackers continue to target water supply infrastructure and hospitals.
Officials stress that Poland is the EU’s top target for Russian cyberattacks, even though they stop about 99% of them. However, some manage to cause the harm they were intended to cause, mainly against hospitals, where surgeries were briefly suspended and medical data was stolen.
For example, in Krakow, cyberattacks disrupted a hospital’s operations and compromised sensitive medical data. While cybersecurity teams worked to contain the incident, the hospital temporarily suspended some procedures.
To strengthen defences, the government is now spending €80 million this month on protecting water systems, local government networks, and other critical infrastructure.
It’s not only the hospitals and water infrastructure that are on the hackers’ radar in Poland. Last week, its air defences shot down 19 Russian drones in its airspace. As a response, NATO deployed more planes and air defences along its eastern border.
Just yesterday, a drone was also brought down near the presidential residence in Warsaw.
And Polish officials warn that Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave has become a hub for GPS jamming, affecting flights over the region.
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