Two Men Arrested Following Poland’s Railway System Signals Hack

Authorities in Poland arrested two individuals on suspicion of planning an unlawful hack into the communication network of the national railway, which caused delays in train service in some areas.

The Polish PKP railway’s radio communication system was hacked on Friday night, causing emergency train stops close to the city of Szczecin. About 20 trains came to a complete stop, but services were soon resumed.

Without significantly impacting traffic, the attacks persisted on Saturday and Sunday in various areas of the whole country.

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According to media sources, the Russian national anthem and a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin were reportedly intermingled with the signals.

The Arrest Of Two Suspects

According to Tomasz Krupa, a police spokesperson, the suspects, who are Polish nationals and are 24 and 29 years old, were caught in the eastern city of Bialystok. The radio equipment from their home was seized in addition to the arrests.

Poland, which is renowned for its loyalty to Ukraine, plays a key role in aiding the transportation of Western weapons into the nation.

Poland’s internal security agency initiated an inquiry after the event to identify those responsible for the breach. 

Stanislaw Zaryn, the special services deputy coordinator, speculated a potential link to destabilization actions carried out by Russia in collaboration with Belarus. 

Zaryn guaranteed that the attack did not endanger the safety of the passengers.“We know that for some months, there have been attempts to destabilize the Polish state.”

The Russian Federation has undertaken such attempts in conjunction with Belarus,” Stanislaw Zaryn, deputy coordinator of special services, told the PAP news agency.

The attack “did not pose risks to passengers’ health or lives”.Several incidents, including two derailments, occurred on the Polish rails during the same week as the hacker attack, although no one was harmed.

Zaryn, however, asserted that there was no evidence to support a connection between such occurrences and the hacking.

He said that the ABW was collaborating with other security services and railway authorities to identify and stop any new threats to the railway network.

Additionally, he asked the train employees and passengers to notify the authorities of any suspicious behavior or devices.

According to the country’s national transportation agency, Poland’s railway systems will be upgraded by 2025 and practically fully use GSM cellular radios, incorporating encryption and authentication.

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