Poland’s intelligence service said hackers targeted five water treatment plants in attacks that could have allowed intruders to take control of industrial systems responsible for managing water operations and safety controls.
According to a report published Friday by Poland’s Internal Security Agency, the attacks were among several cyber and sabotage incidents directed at the country’s critical infrastructure during the past two years.
The agency warned that the incidents posed potentially serious risks, including the possibility of tampering with water safety systems.
“The most serious challenge remains the sabotage activity against Poland, inspired and organized by Russian intelligence services,” the report stated.
“This threat was (and is) real and immediate. It requires full mobilization,” the agency added.
The report did not directly attribute the water facility attacks to Russian government hackers.
However, Polish officials said Russia-linked operations have repeatedly targeted the country’s infrastructure in recent years, including attempted attacks against the national energy grid.
Polish authorities previously linked one failed energy grid intrusion to weak cybersecurity protections at affected facilities.
Water Infrastructure Remains A Repeated Target
The incidents in Poland reflect a broader pattern of cyberattacks targeting water and energy systems internationally.
In the United States, water infrastructure has faced similar threats in recent years.
In 2021, a hacker gained temporary access to a water treatment facility in Oldsmar and attempted to increase sodium hydroxide levels to dangerous concentrations.
U.S. federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have since warned that water utilities remain vulnerable to foreign cyber operations.
Poland’s intelligence report also said cyberattacks and sabotage operations targeted military infrastructure, transportation systems, and civilian facilities.
The agency warned that some attacks could potentially have caused fatalities.
U.S. Agencies Recently Warned Of Similar Threats
Last month, U.S. agencies including CISA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency issued a joint advisory warning that Iranian-linked hackers were actively targeting programmable logic controllers used in water and energy infrastructure.
Programmable logic controllers are industrial computers commonly used to automate operations at utilities and industrial facilities.
The advisory referenced activities tied to Iranian hacking group CyberAv3ngers.
The group previously breached digital control systems at several water treatment plants in Pennsylvania during 2023.
Federal agencies connected those attacks to rising tensions in the Middle East.
Poland Warns Of Wider Destabilization Campaign
Polish officials said the attacks fit into a broader strategy involving cyber operations, sabotage, and espionage campaigns directed against Western countries.
According to the report, these operations are intended to weaken infrastructure resilience and destabilize governments viewed as adversaries by Russia.
The agency said cyberattacks remain one part of a larger set of tactics used against Poland and other Western nations.
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