According to the Polish Bank Association (ZBP), the Polish financial sector is currently the most vulnerable to cyberattacks in the entire European Union.
In what is being called a strategic shift, hackers have abandoned their former corporate targets and are now focusing primarily on ordinary online banking users.
The scale of cybercriminals’ activities has exceeded anything previously observed, the group is claiming, and hackers are carrying out attacks every day, at different times, perfectly imitating bank employees, writes Do Rzeczy.
“If the caller claims to be a bank employee and you have even a split second of doubt about their identity, you should immediately hang up and call the hotline number listed on the bank’s official website,” urges Tadeusz Białek, president of the ZBP.
Hanging up and forcing the scammer to reset the entire process is currently considered the most effective method of protection. Banks warn that even displaying a “real” bank number on the screen doesn’t guarantee authenticity—spoofing allows any hotline number to be impersonated.
Meanwhile, the Polish government has launched the “Cybersecure Government” program, investing record amounts in protection against cyber threats. Over PLN 258 million (€61 million) will go to 48 key public institutions – including 11 ministries, 19 central offices, 16 provincial offices, as well as the State Protection Service and the National Police Headquarters.
Grants ranging from PLN 500,000 to PLN 10 million cover, among other things, modernization of IT infrastructure and security systems, security audits, implementation of new procedures, and employee training, including realistic cyberattack simulations.
“The scale of the project demonstrates that we are working systematically. This is about truly strengthening the state’s resilience and giving citizens confidence that the administration is prepared for the threats of the digital age,” says Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski.
The government seeks to increase the state’s technological resilience and competency, including by reducing the risk of data leaks and the paralysis of public services as a result of a cyberattack.
