Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am advised that the situation is secure. However, given what we read internationally about what happens with WikiLeaks or whatever, is anything secure that is put in electronically? I note from correspondence in America that there were over 60,000 cyber-related attacks on the US Government last year. I have spoken to representatives of some of the companies in California and the United States generally. Cyber-attacks take place on their systems every day of the week. Many of these companies have continuously to employ people with a real interest who can look ahead at the challenges that will arise.

Deputy Adams asked when the review would be complete. I am assured that these things are fireproofed or fire-walled and safe. I am assured that the review and the consolidation process are almost complete. I expect that that new consolidated process will be completed by the end of January.

I have a private e-mail account that pre-dates my time as Taoiseach and which I use for personal correspondence or for party political correspondence that would not be appropriate to transmit on an official e-mail account from the Department. The Department has an official account for my constituency office for receipt of matters relevant to the Cabinet or the agenda in that sense. Sometimes I receive correspondence through that official e-mail address. If it is a matter that should be addressed to the Department or the Minister who might be concerned with it in an official capacity, I will send it off to the person concerned.

The private office uses a number of secure corporate e-mail accounts for conducting day-to-day business on my behalf, such as dealing with correspondence from the public or arranging events to be attended. My constituency office also has a secure corporate e-mail account. These accounts are managed by staff in my office and are only accessible on the Department's network. I also use a secure corporate e-mail account to enable officials to send me priority e-mails when I am out of the office. I can access this e-mail account on my mobile telephone or iPad. No corporate data, other than e-mail and calendar data, is accessible from these devices. All corporate data on the devices is encrypted. Both devices are protected through specialised mobile device management products.

The official e-mail accounts are only accessible by the Department's network in Government Buildings and remotely using official laptops and mobile devices. All devices issued to staff for remote access are fully encrypted and remote access to the network is only permitted from sanctioned devices using strong authentication protocols. Corporate e-mail is deployed on some telephones and tablets, but my Department's mobile security policy has to be deployed on the devices first. This policy controls a number of device settings, including enforcing the use of a complex passcode. Apart from e-mail and calendar data, no other corporate data is accessible from these devices. All mobile devices are managed using a leading mobile device managing product. In the event that a device is reported lost or stolen, a device-wipe signal is sent to the device to remotely remove all access to e-mail. My information technology unit also has the capacity to render the devices completely unusable.

The Department of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, has a unit dealing with security encryption and this particular area. The unit is being expanded for obvious reasons. It is going to be located in UCD separate from the Department. This initiative is already paying dividends by way of warning individual entities or institutions of a cyber-attack. Clearly, this is a specialised area. The issue is being addressed through the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The Department will have a unit removed from the Houses of the Oireachtas area and located independently in UCD, operated by personnel who are specifically focused on working on this area. The Department intends to expand those numbers again next year.

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