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Polish government sustains cyberattack

11.10.2009 10:10
Computer servers at Polish government institutions sustained a coordinated cyberattack in September, which allegedly came from sources in Russia.

The daily Rzeczpospolita reports that the details of the attack are secret, but that they are suspected of having come from Russian computers. The attack took place during a particularly heated moment, at the beginning of the month, around the visit of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to Westerplatte for the commemoration of the outbreak of World War II.

Despite the details of the attack remaining classified, the daily reports that the attack was intended to hit several servers in Polish governmental institution, though it was not entirely successful as the Internal Security Agency (ABW) was able to block the virtual intruders. Currently, the ABW maintains a strict 'cyberpatrol' of 50 federal and regional government institutions.

Pawel Bialek, deputy head of the ABW, announced the attack to the press, but did not disclose details. (mmj)
Comments
  • Maciej Skiba 12.10.2009 02:20 Why am I not surprised, Russia or Russians are getting desperate.... what else is new.. Maciej Skiba
  • Mario 12.10.2009 03:05 TheNews.pl keeps crashing all the time. I'm sure it's all Russians' fault.

    The attack might have been coordinated from the US or anywhere else in the world. That's the beauty of any DDoS attack. You just need a few hijacked computers...

    Or there might have been no attack whatsoever. But ABW needs it to get funding. The whole Polish state would collapse without a Russian danger.

    Mario
  • Maciej Skiba 12.10.2009 03:24 Mario,

    Yeah it does crash all the time (I thought it only happened to me), however no one suggesting it is Russia's fault...

    But in this DDos attack it is, DDos's can be traced, regardless of the fact that computers can be hijacked, you can trace it back to its original source.

    As far as your comment that Poland needs a Russian danger, well lets look at the facts, Poland spends less on the military that Russia (so whose the one that needs the danger?) Also whose the country that always rallies its population against the threats from NATO (an organization that Russia is more than welcome to join)...     Maciej Skiba
  • Mario 12.10.2009 04:16 Maciej, nope, Russia is not welcome to join NATO. Not even as a distant perspective. I think that was one of the turning issues for Putin.

    I don't know the military spendings per capita for either Russia or Poland. Let me know if you manage to find those. I'm sure no one can compete with the US anyway ;)

    I think anti-NATO sentiment is quite genuine in Russia after what happened to Yugoslavia.

    Russia-bashing and Russian "threat" have long become an important part in Poland's internal discource.     Mario
  • Maciej Skiba 12.10.2009 04:31 Mario,

    Many countries came out saying Russia can join NATO (the US, Italy, Germany etc)... Russia can join, its not our fault it chooses not to.. I guess its works to Russia's advantage to have this looming NATO danger...

    Genuine? If they can join an organization (which would give it a veto over NATO decisions, since NATO requires unaminous decisions) what is there to fear?

    Russian bashing? You consider Poland wanting to diversify its energy resources and wanting to build defensive weapons Russian bashing? only bashing you hear from Poland is defensive in nature (recent example is the laughable Russian theory that ww2 is Poland's fault)...

    here are the stats : Poland ranked 95th, Russia ranked 30th (Russia spends more than double per capita then Poland) ..

    https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2034rank.html


    Maciej Skiba
  • Maciej Skiba 12.10.2009 05:04 Mind you that Russian is poorer than Poland on a GDP per capital basis and yet they spend more on their military.... Maciej Skiba
  • Mario 12.10.2009 06:20 By the beginning of 2000 the NATO expansion was well under way. Putin met with President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and National Security Adviser Samuel Berger, and floated a question: What would be the West's attitude toward Russia's applying to join NATO? Putin was serious, according to Viktor. He saw dual benefits to NATO membership: Russia could integrate more tightly with the West, and, more important from Moscow's point of view, have an opportunity to "reform" the Cold War-era organization from within. Like the other 19 NATO members, Moscow would wield a veto. Among other things, it could stop the alliance from repeating acts Russia opposed, such as the bombing of Serbia.

    As Viktor recalled the strained moment, Berger suddenly found a fly on the window to be extremely intriguing. Albright looked straight ahead. Clinton glanced at his advisers and finally responded with a diplomatically phrased brush-off. It was something on the order of, If it were up to me, I would welcome that.

    Not dissuaded, Putin's entourage raised the idea again with visiting congressmen. They reacted similarly, getting "this tricky expression on their faces and saying, 'Ah, you want to destroy NATO from within,'" Viktor recalled.

    http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_28/b4091000336244.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily     Mario
  • Maciej Skiba 12.10.2009 06:33 That's great Mario, you brought up something from 2000 (couldn't you go back any further, maybe 10,000 b.c?), Since then many leaders said Russia can join NATO, so if Russia was and is so eager to join, then why hasn't it?

    Maciej Skiba
  • Mario 12.10.2009 06:38 Thanks. Maciej, for the figures. Note that those are are defence spedings as a percentage of GDP, not per capita.
    Acc. to CIA data, Russia's defence spending as % GDP turn out to be less that those of Armenia, Angola and Iraq...
    This is unrelated to defence spednings, but acc. to CIA, Russia's per capita GDP is $16,100 (2008 est.) and Poland's $17,300 (2008 est.).     Mario
  • Maciej Skiba 12.10.2009 06:41 P.S I personally wouldn't want Russia in NATO (seeing as they would be nothing more than obstructionists) just like they are now with Iran. But regardless of my point of view it doesn't change the fact that Russia can join) and it chooses not to. So Russia's lame argument of a NATO threat is disingenuous at best. Maciej Skiba
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