A failed cyberattack targeting Poland's energy grid in late December was attributed to Russian government hackers by cybersecurity firm ESET, which investigated the incident. The attack, which occurred on December 29 and 30, targeted two heat and power plants and attempted to disrupt communication links between renewable installations and power distribution operators, according to Polish Energy Minister Milosz Motyka.

Motyka described the incident as the "strongest attack on Poland's energy infrastructure in years," and the Polish government has blamed Moscow for the attempt. Local media outlets reported the attacks could have potentially knocked out heat and power for at least half a million homes across the country.

ESET said it obtained a copy of the destructive malware used in the attack, which it named DynoWiper. The malware is a type of wiper malware designed to irreversibly destroy data on computers, rendering them inoperable. ESET attributed the malware with medium confidence to Sandworm, a hacking group believed to be a unit within Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU. Sandworm has been linked to previous cyberattacks targeting energy infrastructure.

The attribution to Sandworm suggests a potential link between the attempted disruption in Poland and Russia's broader geopolitical interests. The GRU has been implicated in numerous cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure in other countries, including Ukraine.

The Polish government has not yet released specific details on its response to the attempted cyberattack. However, Motyka stated the government is taking the incident seriously and is working to enhance the security of its energy infrastructure. The incident underscores the growing threat of state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, raising concerns about energy security in Europe.