Published on 

Minister Bruton Publishes Strategy to Protect Ireland’s National Security from Cyber-Attacks

Plan to protect against hacking, cyber-crime, cryptojacking, hacktivism & cyber espionage

 

The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton, T.D., today (Friday 27th December 2019) published a new National Cyber Security Strategy to protect the state against cyber-crime.

Minister Bruton said,

“We live in an increasingly interconnected world. Ireland has benefited hugely from the digital revolution but we need to make sure there are robust measures in place to protect our national infrastructure against the risks posed by new technology. Cyber-attacks, cybercrime and identity theft can wreak havoc in this connected world.”

The Strategy published today sets out the framework which will secure the resilient, safe and secure operation of computer networks and associated infrastructure used by the State, Irish citizens and business.

The key objectives of the Strategy are:

  • To ensure the State can respond to and manage cyber security incidents, including those with a national security component
  • To protect critical national infrastructure from cyber-attacks and manage any disruption to services as a result of such attacks
  • To develop the cyber-security sector here in Ireland. More than 6,000 people are employed in the Cyber Security sector in Ireland and we are well placed to expand this further
  • To work internationally to ensure we have access to the best technology and measures available
  • To increase skills and awareness among enterprise and private individuals around cyber security

 

Minister Bruton said,

“We must ensure our critical national services – our hospitals, schools, enterprises, energy networks and security systems are protected from malicious online forces and are well placed to respond to threats.

“Furthermore, there are approximately 100,000 people employed in the ICT sector all across the country. The future of this sector is contingent on our ability to be at the cutting edge of new technologies such as Cloud Technology, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. Our future competitiveness is dependent on the strength of our cybersecurity capabilities.

“This Strategy is about building capacity, setting standards, ensuring vigilance and learning from best practice at home and abroad to protect our citizens.”

The full strategy is published on the Department’s website here and will go live at approximately 9am this morning.