Unfortunately, within the European Union, Poland is currently a shining star. Since the conflict began on our eastern border, we have become the most frequently attacked country in the community," revealed Ryszard Korzeniecki in a conversation with Automation Trader.
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Recently, the issue of cybersecurity in the industry has been gaining increasing importance. Therefore, we have come to the conclusion that we can no longer postpone this topic and have invited a true specialist in the field to our studio. According to Ryszard Korzeniecki from Softinet, while cybercriminals typically aim to achieve specific financial gains, attacks on Poland involve a completely different strategy.
Infrastructure on the Line
This time, the motivations of those launching cyberattacks are entirely different. They are not interested in obtaining financial resources from their victims; rather, their goal is to simply destroy certain areas of a country's functioning, to make life as difficult as possible in such a state," our guest stated.
What scale of operation are we talking about? - Approximately 80 percent of the attacks we are discussing have the intention of disrupting the smooth operation of a state," he added.
In such a situation, what can the affected country, which is under attack by cybercriminals, do? How can it protect itself from being brought to its knees, especially when full-scale warfare is ongoing just beyond its border?
I have no doubt that the state is ensuring that the level of cybersecurity in the cyberspace is appropriate. To achieve this, first and foremost, we must adhere to the relevant security directives," Korzeniecki acknowledged, simultaneously pointing out the areas that should receive the most attention.
This includes critical infrastructure, critical buildings, tunnels, water supply, and so on. These are all strategic points on our map that, if destroyed or disrupted, cause immense chaos in the country. And such entities are, although I would not like to use this word, obligatorily forced to take certain actions to secure themselves," he added.
Companies Must Defend Themselves
State actions are only one side of the coin. What about private entities that also perform very important, sometimes critical functions within the country? We're talking about telecommunications companies, for instance, which also have to operate under specific regulations.
What about industrial facilities? Why are they also targeted? Well, the answer here is much more straightforward. - In my opinion, very simple arguments come into play here. Money follows business, and this is the temptation of big and easy earnings. That's the mindset of those responsible for the attacks. It might work. Let's try. Out of ten companies, two will definitely give in. Easy money," Korzeniecki said.
Easy and big money - sounds good, but what is the actual scale we're talking about? So, concrete numbers should come into play at this point. - How much does such an attack cost on average? According to recent reports, we're talking about values ranging from 1 to 1.2 million dollars. As for the record ransoms, in 2020, it was $30 million, and just twelve months later, it was $240 million," he concluded.
As seen from the examples provided, cybercriminals have no intention of slowing down, and everyone - from the state to businesses looking to protect their small cyberspaces - must take up the challenge of combating this threat.
