Why Data Protection Is Critical Amid Rising Cyberattacks on Polish Infrastructure

Cyberattacks on Polish infrastructure are no longer hypothetical scenarios discussed only in expert reports. Over the last few years, several incidents have been publicly confirmed by government institutions and national cybersecurity authorities, affecting energy systems, public administration, and strategic research organizations.

These cases clearly show one thing: even well-protected environments can be compromised. When that happens, the ability to restore data quickly and safely often determines whether an organization resumes operations — or remains paralyzed for days or weeks.

Confirmed Cyberattacks on Polish Infrastructure

Attack on the Polish Energy Sector

At the end of 2023 and again in 2024, Polish authorities disclosed attempts to breach systems connected to the national energy infrastructure. According to public statements, the attacks targeted systems responsible for monitoring and managing energy distribution. While no large-scale power outages occurred, officials emphasized that the goal of the attackers was not data theft, but disruption of critical services. This type of cyberattack on energy infrastructure is considered one of the most dangerous, as even short interruptions may have serious economic and social consequences. [Source]

Cyberattack on the Polish Space Agency (POLSA)

In 2024, the Polish Space Agency confirmed a cybersecurity incident that forced the organization to temporarily disconnect parts of its IT infrastructure from the internet. The attack affected internal systems and required immediate incident response procedures. Although sensitive data leakage was not officially confirmed, the case demonstrated that even highly specialized government institutions are attractive targets for cybercriminals and state-sponsored threat actors. [Source]

Growing Number of Attacks on Public Institutions

Reports published by CERT Polska and NASK show a steady increase in cyberattacks targeting public administration, local government units, and state-owned organizations. These attacks often include phishing campaigns, credential theft, and ransomware attempts. In many cases, the initial breach starts with a single compromised account, but the real damage occurs later — when attackers gain access to shared resources, file servers, and backup systems. [Source]

Why Backup Becomes Critical After the Attack

Modern cyberattacks are designed to stay unnoticed for as long as possible. Once attackers obtain elevated privileges, they frequently attempt to disable recovery options before launching the final stage of the attack. This is why ransomware groups increasingly target backup repositories, snapshots, and administrative accounts. When backups are unavailable or corrupted, organizations are left with very limited recovery options. In real-world incidents across Poland and Europe, organizations that were able to restore systems from isolated, immutable backups recovered significantly faster and avoided paying ransom.

What Makes Backup a “Last Line of Defense”

• Backups remain usable even after perimeter security controls fail
• Isolated or air-gapped copies cannot be encrypted by ransomware
• Immutable backups protect data from deletion or modification
• Tested recovery procedures reduce downtime and operational chaos

From a business perspective, backup is no longer just an IT operation. It is a resilience mechanism that directly impacts continuity, reputation, and regulatory compliance.

A Practical Checklist: Backup as Part of a Resilience Strategy

• The 3-2-1 Rule (also 3-2-1-1-0): At least 3 copies, on 2 different media, 1 copy off-site; it’s worth adding an offline/air-gapped copy and regular verification.
• Immutability: Use mechanisms that prevent applications and users from modifying existing backups.
• Air-gap/isolation: At least one copy physically or logically separated from the production environment.
• Regular Restore Testing: A backup is only as valuable as a confirmed restore—schedule restore attempts (DR drills).
• Encryption and Access Control: Backups must be encrypted and accessible only to authorized processes/users.
• Automation and Reporting: Automatic alerts on failed backups, snapshot integrity reports.
• Recovery plan (RTO/RPO): Define required recovery times and data loss tolerances, and practice scenarios (e.g., ransomware vs. hardware failure).
• Segregate and catalog critical data: Quickly locate and prioritize critical systems during recovery.

Lessons Learned from Recent Cyberattacks in Poland

Publicly disclosed cyberattacks on Polish infrastructure highlight several recurring problems: insufficient separation of backup systems, lack of recovery testing, and overreliance on preventive security controls. Organizations that treat backup as an integral part of their cybersecurity strategy are better prepared not only to survive an attack, but to return to normal operations with minimal disruption.

How Backup Software Supports Cyber Resilience

Enterprise-grade backup solution like Storware Backup and Recovery plays a crucial role during and after a cyber incident by enabling:

• Rapid recovery of critical services without engaging with attackers
• Clean restores from uncompromised backup versions
• Granular recovery of virtual machines, applications, and files
• Operational continuity for virtualized and hyperconverged environments
• Auditability and compliance through reporting and verification of backup integrity

In practice, organizations with tested backup strategies recover faster, suffer less reputational damage, and avoid ransom payments.

Executive Perspective: Backup Is a Business Risk Control

For CIOs, CTOs, and CISOs, backup should be treated as a strategic risk-management investment, not just a storage function. Cyber incidents increasingly impact revenue, customer trust, and regulatory compliance. Organizations that integrate backup into their incident-response and disaster-recovery planning are significantly better prepared for today’s threat landscape.

Conclusion

Cyberattacks on Polish critical infrastructure are becoming more frequent and more targeted. Energy systems, public institutions, and strategic organizations will remain high-value targets. When prevention fails — and sooner or later it will — backup and recovery solutions often become the final safeguard. Investing in a resilient backup strategy today may determine whether your organization can continue operating tomorrow.

Storware helps organizations design resilient backup architectures with immutable storage, air-gap capabilities, and fast recovery for virtualized and modern IT environments. Start with a technical consultation or proof-of-concept to assess your organization’s readiness and ensure your backups can stand as the last line of defense.