Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
453. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the circumstances whereby his mobile phone was hacked; the information taken from the phone; the reports that were made to An Garda Síochána; the date on which they were made; the investigations that were conducted by An Garda Síochána or his Department in relation to the hacking; and the measures in place to minimise the chance of his phone being hacked again. [42596/21]
View answerIn August 2020, I was subjected to a phishing attack via the “Telegram” messaging app on my mobile phone. Using credentials created on this platform, my identity was used to contact several foreign ministries.
The phone was taken out of use and a replacement issued. On the advice of my officials, the incident was reported to An Garda Síochána.
An Garda Síochána, in conjunction with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), carried out a digital forensic investigation on the phone.
The risk of cyber-attacks and compromises in my Department is addressed through mandatory cyber security awareness training, technical controls and close liaison with the NCSC
