Agreement on cybersecurity of the raw materials and geological sector
On the 10th of June, the signing of the documents of accession of the Silesian University of Technology and the Central Mining Institute to the ISAC SIG took place.
The Information Sharing and Analysis Centre for Raw Materials and Geodiversity (ISAC SIG) is a sector-specific cybersecurity data centre for the raw materials and geological industry, which was officially established in 2025 by three institutions: The Polish Geological Institute – PIB, the State Mining Authority (WUG) and the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IGSMiE PAN).
On the 10th of June at the Silesian University of Technology, two institutions from our region – Silesian University of Technology and the Central Mining Institute - joined this important forum for exchanging experiences in the field of cybersecurity.
Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Zbigniew Paszenda, Vice-Rector for Infrastructure and Investment at the Silesian University of Technology emphasized that this is a very important step for the University, which wants to participate in the construction of a cybersecurity system in the country and region.
- The development of information technology has brought many benefits but also threats to the industrial sector. Currently, no entity is able to cope with all these challenges on its own, so cooperation in this area is very necessary - he said. - We want to bring our scientific support and experience to this agreement and receive guidance on what directions in the education of cybersecurity experts to develop, - he added.
Plenipotentiary of the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology for cybersecurity Dr Eng. Jarosław Homa pointed out that the aspect of human resources training for the industrial sector (OT), including the energy sector, in the field of cybersecurity is very important today.
- There is a huge demand for such specialists. We need to educate them at the highest level, which is why meetings within the ISAC SIG will be important, where we will learn what real cybersecurity threats the raw materials and geological sector is facing, and we will be able to teach how to solve these problems during the education process.
The exchange of experience between the institutions has already started informally for several years, but today it has been sealed. Experts in the field of cybersecurity and employees of all important companies from the energy and mining sector meet regularly on training grounds and hackathons, among others at the Silesian University of Technology and during these events they look for solutions to new types of threats. However, due to the need to maintain the confidentiality of data on real threats – what are these threats and what their source is – not all problems can be discussed at the forum. As part of the formal cooperation of the units, it will be possible to sign confidentiality clauses and deeper analysis of cyber threats.
Jarosław Zagórowski, Director of the Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute, pointed out the need to create various groups dealing with cybersecurity, which focus on specific sectors. Universities must join these groups in order to transfer not only basic engineering knowledge to young people, but also it issues in the field of data transfer, collection, and security – he emphasized.
Prof. Dr. Hab. Eng Krzysztof Filipowicz, Dean of the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation of the Silesian University of Technology, assured that both the Faculty and the entire Silesian University of Technology are open and have an appropriate base for this.
The Silesian University of Technology joining ISAC SIG is a response to the most important challenges of the present day and a confirmation of the University’s interest in the development of education and implementation of projects in the field of cybersecurity.
ISAAC SIG is currently one of the most important initiatives of public institutions, industry and academia, whose mission is to build an integrated platform for information exchange, early warning of threats and support the digital resilience of the raw materials sector. The initiative focuses on the protection of industrial OT/IT systems, incident analysis, development of technical and strategic competences, as well as the use of artificial intelligence tools and digital twins to model risks.
The seat of ISAC SIG is the Upper Silesian Branch of the Polish Geological Institute – PIB, located in Sosnowiec, and the Chairman of the Management Committee of ISAC SIG is Dr Eng, Artur Dyczko – Director of the Upper Silesian Branch of the Polish Chamber of Commerce (PGI-PIB), who today signed an agreement with the Silesian University of Technology.
- We started by creating a forum for exchange of experiences on cybersecurity together with the Central Mining Institute, now we are expanding this initiative. Today, we cooperate with various entities, key for the region and our country, who want to learn from us, share experiences, want to educate and it is impossible to do all this without the participation of the academia – said Artur Dyczko. – Therefore, together with the Silesian University of Technology, we have already organized training grounds and hackathons, during which representatives of various companies and institutions competed solving tasks in the field of cybersecurity. We believe that there will be even more joint actions, - he added.
During the ceremony of signing the agreement between the Silesian University of Technology, the Central Mining Institute and ISAC SIG, the letter of the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Energy, Marian Zmarzły, was also read.
Cybersecurity is no longer a topic of the future solely concerning technical problems. It is one of the real dimensions of state security. Recent experience shows that energy, industrial and raw materials infrastructure can be targeted by sabotage, so we need to strengthen not only the protection of systems, but also the ability to maintain business continuity in crisis situations. The energy transition must be a secure transition. It is not enough to build our capacities, modernize our networks and implement new technologies. At the same time, digital resilience, people’s competences, incident response capacity and practical cooperation between administrations and science, industry and expert institutions must be developed. I am particularly pleased with the role of the Silesian University of Technology – wrote the minister.
On behalf of the Silesian University of Technology, the agreement with ISAC SIG was signed by Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Zbigniew Paszenda, Vice-Rector for Infrastructure and Investment.
fot. Maciej Mutwil
