Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 July 2019
331. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the cybersecurity protocols under the remit of his Department; if it has had a cybersecurity breach in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30591/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's ICT Division employs a variety of policies and practices in its attempts to ensure the integrity, confidentiality and availability of the Department’s data and ICT infrastructure and to protect it from all potential threats, both external and internal. In these efforts, ICT Division utilises expert support from specialist resources including its managed service contract. The division also liaises with the Computer Security Incident Response Team (the CSIRT-IE) of the National Cyber Security Centre in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The CSIRT-IE issues general cyber security updates on a regular basis and issues continuous alerts to ICT Division in relation to specific potential cyber security breaches, including advices on appropriate actions to mitigate such threats, which are then implemented.
The Department is not aware of any cyber security breach in the last 12 months but it continues to be vigilant in its efforts to ensure attempted breaches are repelled. In these circumstances, I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that I cannot provide detail on the Department’s cyber security protocols in this reply, as it could potentially reduce their effectiveness and increase the risk of breaches.
