Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 December 2020
354. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Defence the external advice or expertise that has been sought to assess the security of cyber infrastructure; the areas in which improvements can be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40302/20]
View answerIreland’s current national cyber security strategy was published in December 2019 and follows on from the country's first Strategy which was issued in 2015 and for which the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications has the lead role. Officials of my Department and members of the Defence Forces are actively involved in the implementation of the new Strategy.
In addition, my Department and the Defence Forces have a Memorandum of Understanding and a Service Level Agreement with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to provide support in the area of national cyber security.
My Department and the Defence Forces implement a programme of continuous review in relation to ICT security in order to keep up to date with current threat levels given that cyber security is a multifaceted challenge that is constantly evolving. Details of measures taken are not publicised for security reasons.
While it would also be inappropriate for me to comment on the specific cyber activities and the resourcing of same by the Defence Forces, for both security and operational reasons, I can inform the Deputy that the priority for the Defence Forces Communications and Information Services Corps is the protection of the Defence Forces Communications Network. Other activities undertaken by the CIS Corps include the monitoring and handling of cyber incidents, the enhancement of Defence Forces cyber situational awareness and the provision of cyber awareness training.
My Department has recently availed of Build-to-Share 'Managed Desktop' services provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). This is in line with the Public Service ICT Strategy and seeks to provide my Department with robust and secure ICT services. The ‘Managed Desktop’ shared services model for ICT infrastructure supports integration and sharing of resources across the wider Public Service while driving efficiency and controlling costs. OGCIO's aim is to implement a defence-in-depth security strategy to be achieved through the effective combination of people, processes, and technology to support the implementation of appropriate security measures and provisions.
