Poland says it thwarted a cyberattack on its National Centre for Nuclear Research and is probing early forensic signs that point to Iran, while warning those traces could be intended to mislead investigators. Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the attempt occurred "in the past few days" but the centre remains secure and security services are investigating. Officials noted Poland has faced multiple cyberattacks since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Some widely circulated claims about regional military strikes and deaths are unverified and have been excluded pending confirmation.
Poland Foils Cyberattack on Nuclear Research Centre; Early Traces Linked to Iran — Authorities Warn of Possible Misdirection
FILE PHOTO: Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski arrives for a meeting with international investors in IA at the Elysee Palace as part of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris, France, February 10, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
Poland says it blocked a recent cyberattack on its National Centre for Nuclear Research and is investigating early forensic traces that point to servers or entry vectors linked to Iran, while cautioning that those signals could be deliberate attempts to obscure the attackers' true origin.
Minister for Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski told private broadcaster TVN24+ the intrusion occurred "in the past few days." He said the attempt "may not have been on a huge scale, but there was an attempt to break through the security that was stopped," adding that the centre remains safe and that appropriate security services are already working on the case.
Gawkowski said initial identifications of the entry vectors were related to Iran, but stressed that final verification by Polish security services is still pending. The government also emphasized the possibility that attackers deliberately routed activity through third-party infrastructure to mislead investigators.
FILE PHOTO: Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Cyber Attack" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The National Centre for Nuclear Research conducts work on nuclear energy, subatomic physics and related scientific fields. Poland does not possess nuclear weapons and is in the process of building its first civilian nuclear power plant.
Polish officials noted the country has been the target of numerous cyberattacks since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022; Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in such incidents.
The Iranian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Context and verification: Some versions of this story referenced recent regional military actions and disruptions to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Specific claims in those versions — including statements that Iran's Supreme Leader was killed — are not supported by independent verification and are inconsistent with publicly available information. We have omitted unverified and demonstrably false claims from this account and flagged the need for confirmation by reliable sources.
What happens next: Polish security services will continue forensic analysis to confirm the origin of the attack and determine whether the apparent links to Iran reflect the attackers' true location or a false flag operation. Authorities say the research centre is secure and investigations are ongoing.
Help us improve.
