Poland Shuts Down Government Services Platform ePUAP After Cyberattack
Poland has temporarily taken its ePUAP government services platform offline following a detected and stopped cyberattack, officials confirmed.
Poland has temporarily shut down its ePUAP government services platform, a critical nationwide system used by citizens and businesses for official communication and administrative procedures, after detecting and stopping a cyberattack. The incident, confirmed by Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, led to the platform being taken offline as a precautionary measure.
Officials emphasized that the decision to disable ePUAP was not due to any compromise or disruption of its operational integrity caused by the attack. "We simply disabled it as a precautionary measure," stated Marek Gieorgica, a spokesperson for the Digital Affairs Ministry, to the Polish news agency PAP. The infrastructure of Poland's Central Information Technology Center, which manages ePUAP and other key digital services, reportedly remained secure throughout the incident.
The cyberattack targeted the ePUAP platform, which facilitates the submission of official documents, communication with government agencies, and other online administrative tasks. While security teams responded swiftly to neutralize the threat, the full functionality of the platform is yet to be restored. Authorities have not yet provided a timeline for its complete resumption of services.
This shutdown could have a ripple effect on other government services. The Trusted Profile digital identity system, which relies on ePUAP for access to public services and electronic document signing, may also be temporarily affected. Users are currently unable to access their ePUAP electronic mailboxes, impacting both citizens and public institutions.
Details regarding the nature of the attack, the methods employed by the attackers, or the identity of the perpetrators have not been disclosed by Polish authorities. There has been no public confirmation that attackers successfully breached government systems or exfiltrated sensitive data. Investigations are ongoing to assess the full scope of the incident and ensure the platform's complete security before it is brought back online.
Poland has been a target of numerous cyberattacks in recent months, with government institutions, critical infrastructure, and private companies frequently falling victim. This incident adds to a growing list of security challenges faced by the nation, underscoring the persistent threat landscape in the region.
Previous incidents include a data breach at Polish online invoicing provider Fakturownia in October, which may have exposed user and business partner information. In September, hackers also stole data from Qbusoft, a Polish healthcare software provider, following a separate breach involving medical technology company MyDr. The MyDr incident alone potentially affected data related to approximately 19 million individuals and around 12,000 healthcare organizations.
The temporary unavailability of ePUAP highlights the vulnerability of essential government digital infrastructure and the significant disruption such attacks can cause to public services and citizen access. The ongoing response and investigation aim to restore trust and ensure the resilience of Poland's digital governance systems.