Polish railway cyberattack
The Polish railway cyberattack is a series of suspected sabotage attempts in August 2023 aimed at the Polish State Railways.
Method
The "radio stop" command system has a vulnerability - when a certain three tonal signal is transmitted through the railway radio network, trains stop automatically.[1]
Events
Friday 25 August
At 9:23 on two sections of line near Szczecin a stop signal was broadcast by an unknown person.[1] It affected more than 20 trains and freight traffic was stopped as a precaution.[1] Services were restored within hours.[2]
Saturday 26 August
Around 6pm near Gdynia a second incident took place - a freight train was also affected later that evening.[1]
Sunday 27 August
Trains near Białystok were affected by fake stop signals.[1] Five passenger trains and one freight train were stopped.[3] Two men were arrested in connection with the disruption near Białystok.[3] One suspect is a police officer.[3] Prosecutors opened an investigation.[3]
Monday 28 August
Police in Białystok announced they had begun a dismissal procedure against the officer arrested on Sunday.[3] Sixteen people have been arrested as suspects in spying for Russia.[3]
Investigation
The disruptions are being investigated both by police and intelligence organisations, including the Internal Security Agency.[3]
Some of the disruptive signals included the Russian anthem and part of a speech by Vladimir Putin.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Morris, Loveday (2023-08-28). "Poland investigates train mishaps for possible Russian connection". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/28/poland-hacking-trains-russia/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Poland investigates cyber-attack on rail network". BBC News. 2023-08-27. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66630260.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Poland is investigating disruptions to train traffic from unauthorized radio signals". Associated Press. 2023-08-28. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/08/28/poland-railway-disruptions-arrest/ff7847d8-45d2-11ee-b76b-0b6e5e92090d_story.html.
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