A suspected cyberattack disrupted Poland's state registry systems on Wednesday, May 1st, 2025, impacting access to essential government services. The incident temporarily blocked access to the PESEL registry, a critical database holding personal information used for identity verification across healthcare, taxation, and other public services.
Poland's digital ministry confirmed the disruption, clarifying that while some services were affected, no data was compromised. Local media reports suggest a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, where systems are overwhelmed with fake traffic. The identity of the perpetrators remains unknown.
Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski stated that Poland is a frequent target for cyber threats, often originating from Russia. The attack affected digital services relying on state registry data, including the mObywatel app and online tax reporting systems, coinciding with Poland's tax filing deadline. Cyberattacks targeting state registries have become increasingly common in Eastern Europe, with recent breaches in Ukraine, Slovakia, and Russia.