Massive data breach exposes Polish citizens' personal details, prompting PESEL security debate

During August, a cyber intrusion into MyDr, a private company that provides electronic medical documentation, resulted in the exposure of personal data for a substantial portion of Poland's population. The stolen records reportedly contain names, PESEL numbers, contact details, health information and prescription data, and also include information belonging to employees of the Ministry of Defence and soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces.

Bartosz Grodecki, head of the Office of National Security, admitted his own PESEL was compromised and argued that public systems are insufficiently protected, suggesting that PESEL numbers should be automatically restricted. He called for clear guidance from the state on how affected individuals should proceed. Deputy Minister of Digitalisation Krzysztof Gawkowski reiterated the importance of PESEL reservation as a basic digital hygiene measure, noting that the process now takes merely five seconds in the mObywatel application. The incident has sparked a broader debate about the security of national identification numbers in Poland.