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Cyberattack Exposes Data of Nearly 19 Million Poles
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Technology

Cyberattack Exposes Data of Nearly 19 Million Poles

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Under investigation
  • A massive cyberattack has compromised the data of nearly 19 million Poles, including personal, fiscal, and medical information.
  • The breach affected MyDr., a company managing electronic medical data used by most Polish healthcare facilities.
  • The government has launched an investigation and created a website for citizens to check if their data was compromised and to block their identification numbers.

Poland is grappling with an unprecedented cybersecurity incident after a major cyberattack compromised the data of nearly 19 million citizens. The breach exposed personal, fiscal, and medical information, impacting approximately 12,000 healthcare centers across the country, according to Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski.

Gawkowski described the event as "an unprecedented incident of great magnitude in the country's IT security." The attack targeted MyDr., a Polish company specializing in the electronic management of medical data. This company's services are utilized by nearly all public and private healthcare facilities in Poland, processing electronic prescriptions, medical histories, and work leave documents.

The minister confirmed that the incident has been reported to the Prosecutor's Office, and intelligence services are actively investigating the breach. While the origin of the attack remains unknown, Gawkowski stated that the government "will not yield to any blackmail."

An unprecedented incident of great magnitude in the country's IT security.

— Krzysztof GawkowskiThe Polish Minister of Digital Affairs described the scale of the cyberattack.

In response, the government has established a dedicated website allowing citizens to verify if their data has been compromised. Affected individuals are urged to block their PESEL (Polish identification numbers) to prevent identity theft. Additionally, citizens can visit official centers for assistance in checking their data and protecting their personal information.

Gawkowski indicated that virtually any Pole who has ever used a medical service could be a victim. The primary danger lies in the potential to link sensitive medical information with personal data, creating significant privacy risks.

will not yield to any blackmail.

— Krzysztof GawkowskiThe minister assured that the government would not give in to demands from the attackers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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