The counterintelligence agency has a special task force, CSiRT GOV, which works to oversee the security of Poland's key IT systems.
Each year, the unit issues a report about cyber threats in the country.
The newest publication evaluates cybersecurity threats last year and shows that the number of actual cybersecurity incidents totalled 23,300, state news agency PAP reported.
There were 246,000 reports of potential threats, an all-time high, the task force said.
According to the 74-page report, a growing number of incidents are being uncovered in public and critical infrastructure, including state institutions, which are mainly attacked through malware.
Computer viruses are designed to break through security barriers, elicit sensitive information or obtain data for logging onto IT resources, ABW explained.
"The year 2020 saw a significant increase in phishing campaigns, or attacks based on social engineering," the report said.
Such scams are used by criminals as well as foreign security services, and currently often masquerade as messages about the COVID-19 pandemic, ABW noted.
Users are directed to false sites ostensibly showing the spread of the coronavirus, for example, or receive emails purporting to contain official statements by the World Health Organization.
In the course of 2020, ABW also uncovered several advanced persistent threats (APT). According to the agency, this means Polish institutions are in constant danger, as certain actors seek to obtain sensitive data or discredit the country's IT systems.
Usually, APTs are mounted by organised hacker groups and are frequently thought to be sponsored by foreign countries, the report said.
In its study, CSIRT GOV also looked at the security of the networks, systems and services of 14 Polish institutions.
Finally, ABW's experts formulated recommendations on how to make remote access to IT infrastructure safe for the public sector, given the rise in teleworking during the pandemic, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gov.pl, csirt.gov.pl