The Digital Poland Association, representing the Polish digital and new technologies industry, has submitted a list of recommendations to the Ministry of Digitization to strengthen Poland’s cybersecurity. In their letter, experts emphasized the need for special attention to securing 5G networks, which are already being built in Poland, excluding high-risk suppliers from their development, and using EU solutions and recommendations when crafting legislation.
The recommendations from the Polish digital industry are linked to the upcoming amendments to the National Cybersecurity System Act. This declaration was recently made by Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who also serves as the Minister of Digitization. That is why Digital Poland experts submitted a letter to Ministry representatives urging them to accelerate efforts to bolster national digital security and provided their proposals.
“Cybersecurity must be the linchpin of the digital economy, and without clear and unambiguous regulations, it will be impossible to achieve this goal,” stated Michał Kanownik, President of Digital Poland. He underscored that the objective of strengthening digital security is not to favor specific technology providers but to safeguard national security. That is why we strongly support expediting the amendment to the National Cybersecurity System Act. The market is eagerly anticipating this much-needed update,” remarked Michał Kanownik.
In its opinion submitted to the Ministry of Digitization, the Association suggested that European Toolbox tools be integrated into the National Cybersecurity System. These solutions are specifically designed to mitigate cyber threats to European 5G networks. Furthermore, it is essential to eliminate solutions that pose risks to national security or corporate interests. This directly connects to the issue of so-called high-risk suppliers, as industry representatives have emphasized. Given the importance of infrastructure security, we must safeguard the system from unauthorized data access or any other actions that could compromise security and network stability,” said Michał Kanownik.
Digital Poland experts also call for the diversification of 5G solutions providers. Currently, hardware and software from one vendor represent about 65% of the total LTE and 5G infrastructure in Poland. For some operators, this is more than 80% of their network resources. According to the organization, the obligation to diversify should be introduced primarily for national-scale networks, as well as for networks of strategic importance to the security of the state (such as refineries, gas ports, or airports).
As Michał Kanownik also emphasizes, the introduction of an amendment to the NCS is not everything. “A lot is needed. As representatives of the digital industry, we appeal for the active creation of training programs, increasing awareness of threats and promoting cyber hygiene. It is important to protect all users from cyber threats,” says the expert from Digital Poland.
The industry also recommends developing contingency plans for critical infrastructure evacuation to the cloud, in line with the National Critical Infrastructure Protection Program. In this context, experts remind of preparing for the implementation of European cybersecurity regulations, including the NIS2 Directive, which our country has time to implement until October 17, 2024.
