Critical infrastructure – including energy networks, transportation systems, healthcare networks, and other essential areas – remains a primary target for cybercriminals due to its crucial role in daily life and its vulnerability to attacks.
For several days, hackers have been executing a series of attacks in Krakow, including on the Municipal Transport Company (MPK), aiming to disrupt the smooth functioning of the city’s public transport network and to create unease among residents and authorities. Issues affected ticketing systems, the MPK website, and other IT systems. Recently, there was also an attack on the website of the Home Army Museum, named after General Emil Fieldorf “Nil” in Krakow. “The attack involves generating millions of visits to the site to block it,” the museum explained on Facebook.
According to analysis by the company Check Point, the “public utility” sector is currently the most frequently targeted sector in Poland, with an average of 2,138 attacks per week. Close behind are government-military institutions, experiencing 2,131 attacks weekly.
Disrupting these systems can lead to widespread chaos, financial losses, and even public safety threats. One of the leading tools used in these attacks is Androxgh0st, as identified by Check Point experts.
Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Poland have intensified in recent months. In the spring of 2024, hackers attacked a website containing data on Home Army soldiers in the Eastern Borderlands. Authorities were informed about these attacks. Last week, cybercriminals caused a failure in the IT systems of the Municipal Transport Company in Krakow. On the night of December 3 to 4, there were actions that could be described as sabotage in the energy infrastructure sector. “Everything was identified well, prevented any damage, and of course, passed on to the appropriate services, who took action,” confirmed MPK president Rafał Świerczyński.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, confirmed in an interview with TVN in June that the Polish government was aware that Russians had attempted cyberattacks on the state’s critical infrastructure in the past six months. At the time, he stated that “all scenarios are possible, where we use various types of computer equipment and software that can be hacked, disabled, taken over, and brought to a critical situation.”
Source: Manager Plus
