According to data from the Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs, in 2024 the number of reports related to breaches of IT system security increased by 60% compared to the previous year, while the number of actually identified incidents rose by 23%. Every day, NASK (Research and Academic Computer Network) handled an average of 283 reports, compared to 220 in 2023[1]. Undoubtedly, the main cause of the rise in attacks in Poland and worldwide is the unstable geopolitical situation. Both public sector entities and private companies are at risk. Experts from Linux Polska discuss the concerns organizations have and how to protect against cyber threats.
Organizations Fear Operational Disruptions the Most
The Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 study conducted by the World Economic Forum reveals two main risks related to cyberattacks connected to the global geopolitical situation. The first is disruption of operational activities — this was indicated by 31% of organizational directors and 45% of information security managers (CISOs)[2]. The second major concern is cyber espionage and loss of confidential information or intellectual property — a worry expressed by one-third of CEOs and one-quarter of information security managers.
Both of these risks were considered far more important than financial losses (noted by 11% of CEOs and CISOs), negative impacts on brand reputation and loss of customer trust (7% of CEOs and 12% of CISOs), or the need to increase cybersecurity costs and incident response (8% of CEOs and 1% of CISOs)[3]. According to Dariusz Świąder, CEO of Linux Polska, although nearly all respondents acknowledged concerns related to the global geopolitical situation, in many cases this awareness did not lead to changes in their IT security strategies.
“According to the World Economic Forum report, as many as 41% of organizations have not changed their security strategy despite awareness of geopolitical tensions. Those who did mainly undertook limited preventive actions: modifying insurance policies, changing service providers and commercial guidelines, or ceasing operations in some countries[4]. Surprisingly, key strategic factors related to risk analysis before deploying new software solutions in organizations were absent from this list,” explains Dariusz Świąder.
Software Risk Analysis and Geopolitical Context
The Linux Polska expert adds that reasons for overlooking comprehensive risk analysis in the context of threats stemming from geopolitical tensions vary — from organizational competency gaps to an unconditional trust in the creators and suppliers of software solutions used.
“Even in the case of open source solutions, often regarded as safer than commercial ones, risk analysis should be a fundamental part of any organization’s strategy. I realize, however, that financial constraints and a lack of specialists limit activities in this area. That is why we developed SourceMation — a system for analyzing risks related to open source software and its components, which enables evaluating solution security before deployment. The system considers various risk factors such as code vulnerabilities, project workload, number of contributors, software performance and compatibility. This list also includes geopolitical issues like the origin of open source solutions,” explains Dariusz Świąder.
Public Sector Less Prepared for Threats?
The Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 report shows that the public sector is significantly less prepared for cyber threats related to geopolitical tensions. As many as 38% of organizations admit their cyber resilience is insufficient — 2 percentage points more than in 2024. At the same time, 7% say their resilience exceeds internal requirements[5]. The private sector fares better, especially among medium and large enterprises — only one in ten considers their cyber resilience insufficient, and 13% report exceeding their company standards.
However, Tomasz Dziedzic, Chief Technology Officer at Linux Polska, emphasizes that cyberattacks affect all organizations. The risk is particularly high in so-called key sectors, regardless of whether they operate in the public or private sector.
“This includes financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, and investment funds. The risks related to their activities are reflected in EU regulations like the DORA Regulation, effective since January 2025. To help organizations comply with these new rules, we created the DORIAN system. This solution supports financial institutions in managing ICT risk and incidents. The other three pillars of the DORA Regulation — operational resilience testing, ICT third-party risk management, and cyber threat information sharing — are supported by expert cybersecurity specialists within our team,” says Tomasz Dziedzic, CTO of Linux Polska.
The number of cyber incidents impacting continuity of institution operations increased by 57%[6]. Given the global geopolitical situation, the number of cyberattacks will certainly continue to grow. This necessitates changes in cybersecurity strategies across all organizations — not only those legally required to do so.
Sources:
[1] Gov.pl, Cyber Landscape: Annual Cybersecurity Report
[2], [3], [4], [5] World Economic Forum, Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025
[6] Gov.pl, Cyber Landscape: Annual Cybersecurity Report
Source article:
https://managerplus.pl/cyberzagrozenia-rosna-strategie-wciaz-nie-nadazaja-eksperci-linux-polska-o-nowych-wyzwaniach-15503
