Addressing an informal meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday, Krzysztof Szczerski said, as quoted by Polish state news agency PAP: "In recent months, Poland has been the target of powerful cyberattacks, mainly from across our eastern border."
The Polish UN ambassador warned that "cyberattacks on critical infrastructure generate high social and economic costs," according to officials.
"The attacks against Ukraine and Albania are some of the recent examples," he told the UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting, co-hosted by the United States on Thursday.
"We need to intensify our cooperation for a secure cyberspace," Szczerski urged.
Cyberattacks can be used 'as weapons of war': US UN envoy
Meanwhile, US UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the meeting that "the United Nations in general, and the Security Council in particular, is charged with maintaining international peace and security."
She warned that "malicious cyber activity to intentionally damage critical infrastructure, whether it’s initiated or endorsed by a state, can instigate a conflict or exacerbate one."
Thomas-Greenfield added: "These attacks can be even used as weapons of war. We have to work together to stop them."
Earlier this month, several leading Polish news websites suffered a series of hacking attacks, according to reports, with government security officials warning of Russia’s attempts to "destabilise" the country and "sow chaos among the public.”
Poland's digitization minister Janusz Cieszyński told reporters at the time that the government had proof of the attacks being orchestrated by Russian hackers.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Friday is day 457 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, biznesalert.pl, usun.usmission.gov