Poland's National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) disclosed that hackers attempted to breach its IT infrastructure in a recent cyberattack. The research facility, which operates nuclear reactors and conducts critical nuclear science research, confirmed that its cybersecurity systems successfully detected the intrusion attempt before any damage could occur.
While NCBJ has not disclosed the specific attack vector or attribution, the incident represents a concerning trend of threat actors targeting critical nuclear infrastructure. The organization stated that no operational systems were compromised and nuclear safety was never at risk during the attempted breach.
The attack appears to have targeted the facility's administrative IT networks rather than operational technology systems that control nuclear processes. NCBJ's incident response team activated established protocols immediately upon detection, isolating affected systems and implementing additional security measures to prevent further intrusion attempts.
The research centre confirmed that all systems have been restored to normal operations and that law enforcement and relevant cybersecurity authorities have been notified. NCBJ emphasized that its multi-layered security architecture, including air-gapped operational systems, prevented any impact to nuclear research activities or safety systems.
This incident follows a pattern of increased cyber threats against critical infrastructure globally, with nuclear facilities being high-value targets for state-sponsored threat actors seeking to disrupt operations or steal sensitive research data.