Ireland must invest in cybersecurity or become sitting duck for hackers - senator

Ireland urgently needs to invest in cybersecurity to avoid becoming a sitting duck for international hackers, according to a senator and member of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.

Senator Gerard Craughwell issued the call after Australia introduced a raft of new regulations to protect against cyberattacks following a data breach that rocked the country in 2022.

Organisations in Australia are set to spend more than €4 billion a year on cybersecurity measures after a telecommunications provider and a health insurance company were hacked, exposing biometric data, consumer records, and patient files.

Mr Craughwell said Ireland and the European Union must follow this example or remain vulnerable to catastrophic attacks like the one that crippled the health service here in 2021.

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“We have supported EU proposals to ensure a greater level of preparedness in relation to cyber threats, but we need to do a lot more,” he told the Irish Mirror.

The independent senator said he had sent a proposal to Education Minister Norma Foley for the establishment of a cyber-awareness programme for children aged nine and older, which he likened to the ‘green flag’ environmental scheme.

“It is essential for children and their parents in the world today, given recent events,” added Mr Craughwell.

He said there was a major skills shortage in the area of cyber security, despite initiatives like the fast-track training programme called CyberQuest.

“It is vital for European and Irish security to better prepare SMEs, start-ups and the public sector for cyberattacks. Ireland does not have a policy on how to help the SME sector,” he said, adding that the National Cyber Security Centre does an excellent job with limited resources.

“AUKUS [an alliance between the US, UK and Australia] provides great opportunities for cybersecurity,” said Mr Craughwell.

“EU countries need to start developing similar partnerships to fend off cyber-espionage threats. One cyberattack that we can’t fend off risks wreaking havoc with our foreign direct investment.”

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