“Controlled failure.” New arrangements regarding Newage trains

Experts found it There are supposed to be provisions in the program that make vehicles break down in specific places – For example, in the vicinity of the competition's renewal halls – and time. The hackers were also able to operate trains. Newag denied introducing such solutions into vehicle programs.

The rest of the article is below the video

TVN24 decided to return to this issue. In the report “Controlled collapse” in Black and White, journalist Olga Orzechowska points out that the “mysterious failures” began at the beginning of 2022. The company Service Bojazdo Szinovic (SPS), which repaired the crippled trains, turned helplessly into a team. of cybersecurity specialists from the Dragon Sector because she was afraid that they would fall victim to a hacker attack.

At the first stage, Piotr Miecznikowski, owner of SPS, did not agree to involve a team of hackers in the repair process. He was afraid of legal liability for manipulating the law. However, as time passed, he changed his mind. delusion They were supposed to discover a mysterious code in the program.

Although along the way, Koleje Dolnośląskie, due to the delay in their train service, was prepared to cancel the contract and hand it over to Newag for inspection. IT specialists had to discover “hitfalls” in the software on the day KD was scheduled to terminate the contract with SPS.

I've never been so happy before. Very very very. We are standing in front of the entrance of the Lower Silesian Railway and I receive a call that the train is running. How do you mean “drives”? Well, he drives the car – recalls Pyotr Mechnikovsky in an interview with TVN24.

In Impulse's code, hackers allegedly found, among other things: geographic coordinates of competing companies' factories. According to the code, as IT experts suggest, The movement of trains was to be permanently frozen when they stopped at the specified coordinates for more than 10 days. The code was also supposed to include a way to bypass the locks.

The issue was dealt with, among other things, by the parliamentary committee. He asked Newag representatives about introducing geographic data into the code, among other things. Janusz Ciesinski or Polina Matysiak. But politicians did not receive a clear answer.

In an interview with TVN24, representatives of Newag They denied that they used such workarounds in the repository software code. – We have not made any modifications or changes of this kind or functionality under any circumstances – Joseph Michalek, Vice President of Newag, answers TV questions.

“The company blames the trains' problems on the 'Dragon Sector' group,” TVN24 reported. Over time, Newag also reported to the Homeland Security Agency (ABW) and the military counterintelligence service (SKW) about interference in the software code of its trains.

We were very surprised by the line of defense they took: “We didn't do it, we don't know who did it, we don't want to do anything here, and in general you are the bad guys here,” “Because you have no right to analyze the program from the trains, because this is a violation For copyright,” says Jacob Stepniewicz from the “Dragon Sector” group to TVN24.

TVN24 also indicates that from 2022, information about train-related violations will be sent to various state institutions. Lists:

• Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK),
• National Cyber ​​Security Attack Response Team (CERT),
• Railway Transport Office (UTK),
• Ministry of Digitalization (MC),
• Public Prosecutor's Office in Nowy Sącz (where Newag is based),
• Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA),
• ibw,
• SKW.

None of these institutions has determined who is behind the mysterious malfunctions of Newage trains – “Black and white” journalist summarizes.

The industry has been speculating for months that something is wrong with Newage trains. As of 2022, the Impuls bus service is being extended, and customers are the victims, sklep-kolejowy.pl reported. Transport companies with this type of train have canceled some trips and provided alternative means of transportation on other trips, including buses.

I can't imagine that a manufacturer with such strength and competitive advantage in Poland would do something like this. I have been in this industry for 12 years and have never encountered anything like this before. I do not remember any similar situation in Poland or abroad. I don't think any manufacturer dared to do this for reputational reasons. If these results are correct, Newag could face big problems on the market – commented Radosław Karwiecki from the Polish Chamber of Producers of Railway Equipment and Services in December 2023 in an interview with money.pl.

It is not true that we cause breakdowns in our trains to take care of their repairs. This is slander. The company serving the rolling stock in Lower Silesia could not meet the demand for our train service and, in order to avoid contractual sanctions, created this conspiracy theory for the media. “We learned from Onet that she had hired hackers who were going to prepare a report blaming us on her,” said Zbigniew Koniecek, head of Newag, as quoted by PAP Biznes.

Zbigniew Jacobas also spoke on this matter. A Polish billionaire controls Newag. – Onet’s post is unreliable and misleading and not only violates the rights of Newag and my personal rights, but also constitutes manipulation of the Newag SA share prices This matter must be dealt with by all state authorities and interests – commented in an interview with Businessinsider.com.pl.