Speaking at the Poland Security Congress in Jasionka, near the southeastern city of Rzeszów, on Monday, Gawkowski said cyber threats against the country had risen sharply over the past year.
He said Poland recorded more than 273,000 cybersecurity incidents in 2025, an increase of over 144 percent compared with 2024.
According to data from Gawkowski's ministry, Polish authorities last year blocked more than 140 million attempts to access illegal websites and prevented the delivery of more than 1 million phishing text messages designed to steal personal data.
Gawkowski said Poland faced two types of cyber threats: attacks by ordinary cybercriminals and organised operations conducted by foreign states "with the clear aim of paralysing critical infrastructure."
He accused Russia and Belarus of being behind state-sponsored cyber operations targeting water, gas and electricity systems.
To counter such threats, Poland has launched an integrated Cybersecurity Operations Centre combining civilian, military and intelligence resources, Gawkowski said.
The government has also begun forming a "Cyber Legion," a volunteer cyber defence force intended for civilians who want to help protect state systems.
Gawkowski warned that advances in artificial intelligence were increasingly being used by "hostile actors" to automate and intensify cyberattacks.
He said cybersecurity spending would rise from more than PLN 4 billion in 2025 to over PLN 5 billion planned for 2026.
The funding will support upgrades to central government systems, strengthen digital skills and improve cybersecurity protections in local government administration, he said.
The two-day Poland Security Congress brought together nearly 4,000 participants, including government officials, members of the Polish armed forces and experts from the technology and defence sectors, state news agency PAP reported.
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Source: IAR, PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Michał Owczarek.