Ready for digital threats

As he emphasizes, he is very pleased with the large interest of Poles in training under the programme “In readiness”. - It shows that people want to be aware. Not only the military or another services, but besides the work for your own safety – the colonel adds. Baron.

Be prepared

Ms. Margaret, a resident of Wrocław, chose cyber-hygiene classes. As she says, she wanted to learn more about it, all the more so due to the fact that she had already faced disturbing online behavior. I virtually received a call 2 days ago from a foreigner with an east accent impersonating a bank employee. He told me that individual took a debt in my name – he tells the Wrocławczyk.

As she adds, it was fortunately impossible due to the fact that she had a reserved PESEL and the impostor realized that she would gain nothing. “I effort to be prepared, but this is precisely the kind of situation that makes me convinced that training is worth it and that I have a good hand,” explains Ms. Margaret.

Cyberhygiena classes were conducted by military specialists from the Expert Cybersecurity Training Center in Warsaw. Participants learned basic principles of data security, login security, passwords, mail, web browser, phone, laptop and another electronic devices. They besides learned about major types of hacking attacks and threats resulting from fake news or artificial intelligence.

As Lieutenant Dawid Sobczyk of the ECSC explained, data theft and financial resources specified as phishing, or impersonating financial institutions, creating false links and websites, are rather typical threats that a large part of society is aware of. "Not everyone knows that cyber criminals can take over and usage for their own purposes not only a laptop or a phone, but besides everyday items like refrigerators, TVs or vacuum cleaners with net access," said the officer.

He explained that cyber criminals thus make a botnet - a network of infected devices that they control remotely and usage to carry out attacks, e.g. on the websites of institutions or to bargain data. The course besides discussed the usage of artificial intelligence for misinformation and how to admit it.

"One of the celebrated examples of utilizing AI to make a deep fake was, for example, the "capitalisation" given by Volodymyr Zelenski during the first weeks of the war in Ukraine. It was, of course, a deception to sow a ferment among the Ukrainians and gain an advantage – explained Lieutenant Sobczyk.

As part of Saturday's training, dozens of participants alternatively of cyber-hygiena chose to take safety classes in crisis situations. The training included first aid bases, including circulatory resuscitation and the usage of an AED defibrillator. Rules of conduct for evacuation were besides learned, including the packaging of the evacuation backpack and the designation of alarms and appropriate consequence to them. Due to the large interest in the “On-Ready” training, the Lower Silesian territories will organise additional activities on Sunday 7 December. This will be a safety training.

Pilotage #inReadiness

The classes presently being held are pilots of the "In-Ready" programme. A full scope of free and voluntary training for citizens will be available in the fresh year. Participants can choose classes from 2 main training paths. 1 of these is "Resistance", that is, training aimed at all citizens, including employees of public institutions. These include 4 day-long thematic courses on security, survival, cyberhygiene and first aid.

On the another hand, the ‘Reservation’ way is aimed at those who want to be trained on a voluntary basis within the framework of the state's defence structures without the request for professional military service. This is about people without military training, reserve soldiers and candidates for officers. Classes include basic training, excellence courses and three-year officer courses at civilian universities. The ability to subscribe to this way will be launched in 2026.