The phenomenon of phishing in Poland

Abstract

Phishing is a relatively new phenomenon, especially in its current form. According to statistical data, phishing is the most popular type of cyberattack in Poland, making it undoubtedly a significant crime that requires a lot of attention. Cybercriminals who use phishing create increasingly sophisticated methods of their activities, exposing victims to enormous financial losses. The aim of this article is to discuss the phenomenon of phishing in Poland as a crime. To accurately illustrate this issue, it is necessary to familiarize oneself with the main concepts of the discussed topic and to demonstrate the scale of the phenomenon. Firstly, the definitional framework of the environment in which phishing operates, namely the cyberspace, will be outlined, and the number of its users will be presented. Then, the concept of phishing will be characterized, and the scale of the discussed phenomenon will be analyzed. The topic of the criminal liability of phishing perpetrators and the prevention of this crime will be addressed. The research problem of the article is as follows: how does phishing in Poland shape up? The research hypothesis is: with the increase in the number of Internet users, the phenomenon of phishing poses an increasingly significant threat in Poland and is a significant challenge for Polish cybersecurity. The method of literature analysis and synthesis, including the analysis of available statistics from NASK and CERT Polska, was used for the purposes of this article.