Polish waterworks targeted by cyberattacks. The current level of security poses a risk of disaster
Water and sewage companies are in a very difficult situation, with both physical and cyber incidents occurring.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs informed “PB” that in 2025 the National Computer Security Incident Response Team, run by the Scientific and Academic Computer Network – National Research Institute based in Warsaw, handled 94 cybersecurity incidents in the water supply industry, while in 2024 there were 59 of them.
Polish waterworks targeted by cyberattacks. Serious incidents
Last year, two foreigners jumped over the fence of the Bielany Water Treatment Plant, which supplies water to the inhabitants of Krakow. Monitoring showed that they stayed at the plant for some time and took photos. Security detained the intruders and handed them over to the police.
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One of the more serious incidents was the takeover of the control panel at the Chodaczów sewage treatment plant, and the recording of this event was published by a pro-Russian hacker group. During the attack, the technological parameters of the installation were changed, for example the level of sewage in the reactors. Fortunately, employees quickly restored the standard settings.
The parameters of water treatment plants were also manipulated in Małdyty, Sieraków and Tolmick.
— In many water and sewage plants, theoretically there are security procedures, but in practice the main person responsible for ensuring them is the concierge employee. In some companies, cameras were installed in the 1990s and the image quality was very poor. Some of the cameras were poorly placed, so the recordings did not allow for the identification of people. If someone unauthorized entered the plant, the police or prosecutor's office would have no use for these recordings, says Bartosz Pastuszka, president of NaviRisk.
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Project “Cybersecure waterworks”. Hundreds of millions of zlotys for investments
According to “PB”, the dispersion of water intakes in many plants is positively assessed, because if one is contaminated, others can be used.
The problems of water and sewage companies related to the low level of network security are to be solved by the “Cybersecure Water Pipes” project implemented by the government, implemented as part of the KPO. The initial pool of funds for company investments slightly exceeded PLN 300 million, but eventually the government increased it to PLN 625 million.granting financing for 688 projects. The beneficiaries submitted projects worth a total of PLN 724 million – there was no money for 71 positively assessed applications in the competition – reports “PB”.
