Government to focus on cybersecurity

The Prime Minister of Poland, Beata Szydło, made a speech during the CYBERSEC conference that took place in Kraków. The event focuses on the issues of cybersecurity and cyberspace threats. Prime Minister took the opportunity to announce creation of cyberspace department at her chancellery. The new body will be chaired by Paweł Szefernaker.

Polish head of state strongly stressed that cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges our society and governments face. The department of cyberspace will provide expert knowledge and research on all issues connected with modern digital world and will allow leaders to be up to date with the latest events and trends regarding cyberspace. Beata Szydło noted that similar departments exist in numerous other European countries.

However, the government is doing much more when it comes to the matters of cybersecurity. Legislators from the Ministry of Digital Affairs are currently working on a bill on national cybersecurity system. The Ministry of Defence are working on the creation of cyber army who will be conducting military operations in cyberspace. The cyber army is to consist of at least a thousand specially trained soldiers. The government will designate 2 billion PLN to create the army.

Polish Minister of Defence, Antoni Macierewicz, stated that cyberspace is an arena of military actions as much as land, air, water, or space are. Bartłomiej Grabski has been appointed a Ministry plenipotentiary for cyberspace security. Danger for the state exists outside of its borders as well. Today, you do not need tanks and missiles to attack another country. All you need is a computer and an adequately trained person – said the Prime Minister.

As the recent “Petia” virus hacker attack which paralysed many businesses and institutions in Ukraine and other European countries or involvement of Russia in the last presidential election in the United States show, cyberthreats are a very real thing.