The paper aims to analyse how information warfare can be conducted in cyberspace and to look at this issue from the perspective of Central and Eastern European Countries. It argues that this form of hostile actions will be increasingly utilized in the region. The main assumption, following Alvin Toffler’s theory, is that “information” – as an increasingly important element of modern societies and as their strategic resource – also serves as a significant tool of modern conflicts. Since information is nowadays strongly related to new technologies, mainly the aspects connected to cybersecurity are analysed. The article looks closer at different aspects of cyberthreats and explains their possible consequences. It may serve as good material for further research and recommendations on countermeasures that may increase security in Europe. 

The Polish Political Science Yearbook invites all scholars, researchers and professionals to participate in the 7th PPSY International Seminar "Security in Central Europe: Confronting Uncertainty?" which takes place in Toruń (Poland) on April 24, 2018. The conference supports a special section of the current Volume 47 of 2018 of the journal and its objective is to discuss challenges of security and stability in Central Europe and to present current advancements in regional security studies.

Deadline for application: April 6, 2018, with the Online Form.

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The seminar focused on the Security Challenges in Central Europe organised by PPSY was held in Toruń on February 21, 2017. The leading topic of this event could not have been apter as the last years in the region brought back serious questions about stability and security of the region. From the domestic challenges – like the rise of populist movements; to more resurgent foreign policy of Russian Federation; instability of so-called Eastern flank; through the questions about coherence of both NATO and the European Union – Central European states found themselves in a situation unprecedented since the end of the Cold War. It can be even argued that Central Europe come to strategic crossroads that would determine future of the regions and its countries in particular.

Changes in the Structure of the Central Public Administration in the Light of the Act on the National Cybersecurity System of 2018

The national security of Poland in the 21 st century is strongly influenced by the processes taking place in the contemporary global security environment. They are characterized by high dynamics and complexity of changes as well as the occurrence of asymmetrical threats, among which the most dangerous are threats in cyberspace. The functioning of the state and the implementation of their constitutional obligations are increasingly dependent on the development of modern technologies, the information society and the smooth functioning of cyberspace, which is largely dependent on the security of the ICT infrastructure enabling the use of cyberspace, information resources and services accumulated therein. thanks to it they function. Rapid progress in the field of digital technologies necessitates the effective use of the latest technologies while creating the opportunity for the Polish state to leave the role of only the user and join the group of countries with an effectively functioning digital economy, providing solutions and co-creating international standards. To meet these expectations, the President of the Republic of Poland signed the Act on the national cybersecurity system on 1 August 2018, implementing the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council (EU) into the Polish legal order regarding measures for a high common level of security of network and information systems in the territory of Union (Directive 2016/1148) – (the so-called NIS Directive).

The cybersecurity issue discussed in the paper is seen from the perspective of political science with the indication that the subject under discussion concerns the multifaceted nature of the state’s actions, which consists of political, economic, social, and cultural factors. At the same time, the work also intends to prove that cybersecurity is not only a domain of technology because it is the mentioned aspects that shape the conditions of stable development of the state and its citizens in a space dominated by cyber technology in a much more decisive way. Given the growing role of cybertechnology in almost all areas of human life, its importance also forces and inspires political science to question the shape and model of modern policy, which is significantly evolving under the influence of new technologies. On the one hand, emerging cyber threats reveal the weakness of the state and the dependence of state institutions on cybertechnologies, but on the other hand, existing cyber incidents may also motivate many governments to take action to increase the level of cybersecurity.

The article presents threat analysis resulting from botnet activity on the Internet. Botnet networks are a very common tool among cybercriminals. They enable the acquisition of large amounts of data from computers infected with the virus that creates the given network entirely subordinated to its creator. Currently, many unidentified botnets are a threat to Internet users. Those identified and diagnosed answer the problem of how dangerous a botnet is in the hands of cybercriminals. The article presents statistics and analysis of selected botnets. Currently, there is a decline in the interest in botnets in cybercrime, although many new threats appear, suggesting that botnets will continue to be popular and are still a dangerous weapon in the hands of criminals.

As both the European Union and its member states acknowledge that the proliferation of fake news threatens their political stability and – consequently – the general idea of European integration – they have undertaken many steps to confront that problem. Them, the article examines how EU institutions, together with the member states, have tackled the spread of disinformation within the common policy of cybersecurity. The novelty of this study is that it does so concerning the ongoing process of Europeanization of cyberspace, combining the field of information technology with European studies.

The article purpose is to study digitalization of certain phases of Ukraine electoral processes, taking into account the European Union experience. The research design consists in a comparative analysis of electoral processes digitalization and its legislative provision. The article describes the legal field of EU electoral processes. The recommendations of the Council of Europe on e-voting standards are considered. The role of the administrator of the Ukraine State Voter Register is considered. The phases of electoral processes that require gradual digitalization are given. Scientific novelty of the study is to use a comparative approach in studying the electoral law of the EU and Ukraine. The research field is limited to the electoral law of the EU and Ukraine. The practical effects of the study make it possible to identify the advantages and disadvantages of digitalizing the phase of the electoral process. The scientific novelty of the study conducted in this article is to study the digital transformation restrictions at individual stages of electoral processes. The fundamental provisions in Ukrainian legislation on digitalization of electoral processes are determined. The article summarizes that the widespread means of electoral processes digitalization is the formation and updating of the voters registers and conducting their statistics. The author revealed that electoral processes digitalization has a fragmentary character in the EU countries, since the legal field in providing cyber security requires continuous improvement.

Cybersecurity strategies of New Zealand and Poland in the process of globalization

In this paper an author conduct comparative analysis of New Zealand and Poland cybersecurity strategies. During this research a hypothesis was confirmed that cybersecurity strategies of analyzed countries differ because of their political systems of these countries. Moreover an author has highlighted that alliances known from real world are transformed into cyberspace. Thus New Zealand stay close, when creating cybersecurity, to USA, Australia and Canada, when Poland is committed to the European Union structures.

Information technologies, ICT and Industry 4.0 are developing particularly fast in the fourth technological revolution. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the scale of digitisation and internationalisation of remote communication processes and various aspects of economic activity. Digitisation of the economy is currently taking place simultaneously in many areas of economic processes and the functioning of many economic entities and public, financial and other institutions. Many companies, enterprises and public institutions that previously operated mostly or solely offline during the pandemic have switched to remote, electronic operation via the Internet. The development of electronic banking is also increasing, including internet and mobile banking. The share of electronic, cashless payments via the Internet and payments with electronic bank cards is increasing. In addition, in recent years, the range of applications of Data Science, Big Data, and Data Analytics technologies in economics, finance and organisation management, including enterprises, financial and public institutions, has been increasing. Therefore, the importance of implementing analytical instruments for advanced processing of large Data Science data sets in enterprises, financial and public institutions is also growing, including the construction of Big Data Analytics platforms to support organisation management processes in various aspects of operations, including improvement relationship with customers. The scale of cybercrime has also increased during the pandemic, as has the importance of improving cybersecurity techniques and instruments.

Ochrona bezpieczeństwa państwa w cyberprzestrzeni jako przesłanka uzasadniająca ograniczenie korzystania z konstytucyjnych wolności i praw

Artykuł odnosi się do cyberbezpieczeństwa państwa jako przesłanki pozwalającej na ingerencję w sferę wolności praw i wolności jednostki. Jego celem jest wskazanie okoliczności uzasadniających ograniczanie korzystania ze swobód obywatelskich, a także zasad temu towarzyszących. Konstytucyjne wolności i prawa nie są absolutne, w związku z czym w przypadku szczególnego zagrożenia mogą być ograniczane, nie może to mieć jednak charakteru dowolnego i być wykorzystywane do walki politycznej. Prawodawca wyraźnie wskazuje kiedy i przez kogo mogą być wprowadzane stosowne ograniczenia, a kiedy ingerencja jest niedopuszczalna. Rodzaje ograniczeń dotyczących korzystania z wolności i praw człowieka i obywatela powinny odpowiadać charakterowi oraz intensywności zagrożeń występujących w cyberprzestrzeni oddziałujących na normalne funkcjonowanie państwa. W artykule zastosowano metodę dogmatyczno-prawną, za pośrednictwem której dokonano analizy obowiązujących przepisów prawnych pod kątem cyberbezpieczeństwa jako przesłanki uzasadniającej ograniczenie wolności i praw jednostki.

Intelligence Creation: Information Activities in the Field of Security Policy

The enormous changes and constant developments in the applications of technology and communication have changed the way the world is perceived. The information revolution has impacted intelligence gathering, processing, analysis and dissemination, as well as how decision-makers can access reliable information in a timely manner, and the sources they are likely to rely on when concrete information is needed to make decisions. This article attempts to describe, analyze and explain the nature of the ongoing information revolution, its main impact on intelligence and security policy, and the importance of intelligence analysis in the context of peacekeeping operations.

The article outlines a position expressing the view that cyberspace opens up a new dimension of politics, in which cyber campaigns have the potential to become an important means or alternative to warfare in order to achieve strategic advantage. The consequences of cyber measures may not necessarily lead to disasters or military reprisals that disable a state’s critical infrastructure at an unexpected moment but instead may affect the sources of power and its legitimacy. This fact forces one to ponder the question of the nature of the cyber conflict. Global awareness among policymakers about cyber warfare has increased significantly over the past few years, and many states are preparing to defend themselves against this threat. Cyber warfare is part of the evolution of conventional warfare, which in turn is linked to the broad changes in the social and political spheres and, above all, in the technological sphere. This paper aims to seek an answer to the question: are we facing cyber warfare? The answer to this question will be provided by analysing the events in the initial stage of the war in Ukraine in 2022.

The Polish Armed Forces occupy an important position in the state’s defence system, and their status is determined by the legislator itself. In connection with recognising cyberspace as an operational domain, the military dimension of cybersecurity has gained significance and it has become necessary to establish a military formation with competencies in this field. Responding to the need to counter cyber-attacks threatening the military security of Poland, the legislator established a specialised component in the Polish Armed Forces, referred to as the Cyberspace Defence Forces. The establishment of this military structure has triggered the need to build capabilities in the domain of cybersecurity so that the Cyberspace Defence Forces can effectively perform their tasks in countering cyber threats that adversely impact (or may impact) the state’s defence sphere.

Cybersecurity belongs to the area of activity of state and supra-state actors, giving direction to national and international systems of law as components of national and supranational systems of political, economic, military cooperation, etc. Still, the state has a monopoly on the causality of lawmaking, which forms the basis of cyberspace use security activities. The state responds to national security needs by actively participating in the formation of the collective security order of the supranational level. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the significance of the national Cybersecurity Strategy of the Republic of Poland for ensuring the safe use of cyberspace. The Strategy, while referring to the national order, is at the same time an implementation of supranational arrangements within the scopes adopted by the state authorities, which means that the Strategy is subjected to logical evaluation depending on the impact of cyber conditions or binding arrangements of the international environment. The text is based on two research methods: the doctrinal legal research method to analyse the applicable legal regulations governing the issues related to the strategic aspects of cybersecurity and the law theory method aimed at evaluating the strategic solutions in respect of security in cyberspace.

This study comprises an analysis of the school education system in the context of using modern technologies. Its main goal is to present the benefits and limitations associated with the implementation of modern technologies in the school environment. Two fundamental questions will be asked: 1) What are the effects of using new technologies in education, including intercultural education? 2) Can modern technologies pave the way for implementing the ideal of education as an activity aimed primarily at shaping an individual capable of effective and creative adaptation to the social reality in which otherness, including cultural otherness, is common? The authors indicate the types of implemented technologies and assess their impact on adapting students to the extracurricular reality. Referring to the source data and postulates of the contemporary pedagogical and sociological thought, the authors highlight the topicality of the message requiring from the school the activation and development of students’ competencies that will be effectively and creatively implemented in their future professional and social life. It should also be noted that education takes place in cyberspace as well, especially when it is related to the use of modern technologies, which is why great importance should be drawn to cybersecurity.

The purpose of the research, the results of which are presented in this article, was to clarify the mechanisms of strategic competition and to identify the challenges and threats arising from it for international security. A systemic approach, literature analysis and criticism, non-participatory observation, and a case study were used to solve the research problems. In the research process, it was established that strategic competition is constantly intensifying, and its consequences can harm global security. The process of strategic competition should be viewed as challenges that, if not addressed, can quickly develop into new threats. The most significant threats to international security are related to the ambitions of revisionist states seeking territorial claims and expanding spheres of influence. Although the risk of global war remains relatively low, states will seek to permanently influence their competitors in the gray zone through soft instruments. Soft influence instruments will dominate it. The effectiveness of these tools will be determined by the world’s interconnectedness in the economic and political spheres. States will try to achieve their strategic goals in cyberspace and narrative using traditional mass media and social media.