Poland Dodges Major European Airport Cyberattack: Minister Assures Infrastructure Safety
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digitalization, Krzysztof Gawkowski, commented on the aftermath of the major disruption caused by a cyberattack on European airports, assuring that Polish infrastructure remained unaffected. In an interview, he noted that on Saturday the attack crippled systems supporting airport operations in Brussels, Berlin, and London, yet Poland was spared from the list of victims.
The minister emphasized, however, that the country endures thousands of intrusion attempts against its critical networks every day, more than 99% of which are successfully blocked. Gawkowski clarified that a true infrastructure crisis should be understood as an event on the scale of a nationwide power outage.
According to him, had the attackers managed to inflict damage of such magnitude, Poland would have been capable of responding in kind. He added that the state possesses the resources not only to repel such strikes but also to take countermeasures. At the same time, the minister stressed that Warsaw has no intention of provoking cyber conflicts, though it stands fully prepared to defend itself.
The Saturday incident severely disrupted airport operations in several European capitals. According to Reuters, the cyberattack disabled automated systems operated by the American company Collins Aerospace, which managed passenger check-in and baggage handling.
As a result, airports were forced to revert to manual procedures. This led to widespread flight delays, numerous cancellations, and, at Brussels Airport, an announcement that half of Sunday’s flights would simply not take place. The administrations of the affected hubs warned travelers of potential difficulties and advised them to confirm updated schedules directly with their airlines.
The Polish minister reiterated that while the European incident underscored the magnitude of the threat, it also demonstrated that the nation has sufficient capabilities to safeguard critical systems and preserve their resilience.
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