Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

National Cybersecurity: Discussion

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Given the time I will not take the full seven minutes. I thank the participants for sharing their expertise and insight. Everything we have heard this morning highlights the magnitude and complexity of the problem. When it comes to cybersecurity it is quite obvious at this stage that Ireland left the front door and the back door open. We are now reacting to fix the damage. The damage is done and I have no doubt that our complacency will cost us dearly. Dr. Byrne spoke about what has been done in recent years. The HSE is the biggest organisation in the country and handles billions of euro of taxpayers' money. Why was it so complacent and so outdated? Why were its defences so weak? The reason it was attacked is that it was obvious it was vulnerable and open to an attack. From a technical perspective, why were the Department of Health and the HSE so vulnerable?

What would be involved in putting in place a defence mechanism? We have heard we should be spending in the region of €50 million, but if we had the budget and the personnel to put the infrastructure in place, what timescale would be involved in bringing it up to an acceptable standard?

Data are valuable and very personal to every individual. There is an opportunity here for a double ransom, that is, one ransom from the HSE or the service provider and another from the individual. What has happened in the United States as regards GDPR and the duty of care of the provider? Has that not left states and their agencies open not alone to ransom but also to legal actions?

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