EU, UK Sanction FSB Center 16 Over Polish Grid Attack That Nearly Caused a Blackout
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Jul 18
EU, UK Sanction FSB Center 16 Over Polish Grid Attack That Nearly Caused a Blackout
3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jul 18
Summary
EU and UK sanctions, backed by a US CISA-FBI-NSA advisory, formally blamed Russia’s FSB Center 16 for a cyberattack on Poland’s electric grid that came “very close” to causing a blackout.
The operation also threatened water utilities, marking a rare case of the FSB being tied to a disruptive infrastructure attack rather than the cyberespionage it is better known for.
Dragos and ESET had initially attributed the incident to Sandworm, the GRU’s Unit 74455, but Poland’s computer emergency response team disputed that assessment and pointed to the FSB.
The new Western consensus suggests the FSB may be adopting the more aggressive, outage-causing tactics long associated with Russia’s GRU in its cyber campaigns.
With Russia targeting foreign infrastructure, can US agencies defend against threats they repeatedly misidentify as 'false positives'?
As San Francisco plans to relax drone rules after a major data leak, is urban surveillance technology becoming uncontrollable?
Why did the government restrict an AI company's models right after it publicly called for more AI regulation?
December 2025 Sandworm Cyberattack on Poland’s Energy Grid: Geopolitical Fallout and Europe’s Resilience
Overview
In December 2025, Poland's energy grid was hit by a major cyberattack during the harsh winter, raising fears of severe humanitarian impact. ESET Research identified the Sandworm group as the attacker, linking the incident to a pattern of destructive operations using malware like DynoWiper. The timing of the attack increased its potential danger, as power outages could have been devastating in winter. This event highlighted the ongoing threat from Russian-linked cyber groups and underscored the need for strong international cooperation and improved defenses to protect critical infrastructure from similar future attacks.