Poland Sounds Alarm on Russian Hacking
Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks
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Fraud Management & Cybercrime
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Social Media
Government Says Hackers’ Goals Are ‘Destabilization, Intimidation and Sowing Chaos’
Polish intelligence issued a year-end warning over Russian hackers active in national cyberspace, saying they are intent on destabilizing a vital ally to Ukraine.
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Poland is a staging ground for military aid to Kyiv and a destination for more than 1.4 million refugees who fled Moscow’s war of conquest, now in its 11th month. The country says it has extended $9 billion in aid to its eastern neighbor.
Russian hacking in Poland predates the February 2022 invasion but hostile activity has since intensified, the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Cybersecurity said in a Friday alert.
Hacking groups “linked to the Kremlin” use ransomware and distributed denial-of-service and phishing attacks with the goals of “destabilization, intimidation and sowing chaos,” the Polish government agency wrote.
“Russia wants to exert pressure on Poland, as a frontline country and a key Ukraine’s ally on the NATO eastern flank,” it added.
The alert is in step with other warnings that include a December missive from Microsoft stating that Russia may amplify digital operations in Europe, including disinformation (see: Microsoft Warns of Growing Russian Digital Threats to Europe).
