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BUSINESSES WILL SOON be issued with new Government guidelines on how to stop themselves from falling victim to cybercrime.
Concerns surrounding cybersecurity have come to the fore in recent months after attacks on Sony, allegedly by North Korea, and widespread hacks by the so-called Islamic State.
Experts say protection is still needed for less high-profile targets, who could fall victim to ‘petty’ cybercriminals.
The Department of Communications in 2012 launched a Make-IT-Secure” campaign that aims to inform SMEs on steps they can take to improve their own cyber security. This was part of a wider campaign for protection against attacks.
In response to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath, Minister Alex White said:
In 2011, the Government approved the establishment of a Computer Security and Incident Response Team (CSIRT-IE) in my Department and this team has since been working across Government to secure government systems and information.
“Cyber security experts in my Department participate in regular national, EU and international emergency response exercises, as well as providing expert advise to Government Departments and industry stakeholders on individual cyber attacks.”
White added that his Department is now in the final stages of developing a new cyber security strategy, and will encourage businesses to keep their networks, devices, and information secure.
However, a sea-change in global attitudes towards this kind of crime could be needed.
Professor Joe Carthy, Director of the UCD Centre for Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Investigation, noted the currently businesses are not checked to ensure they have sufficient security measures in place to protect customers data, ranging from personal details to financial transactions.
“Decades ago when cars were less common, you could simply get a license and start driving,” he said, “Now, years later, we have developed a range of legislation to ensure people aren’t parking everywhere and driving on the wrong side of the road at whatever speed they want.”
In the computing world, we haven’t got to that stage. We need to be thinking more along those lines in terms of computer security.
Carthy said the gardaí are one of the best police forces in Europe in terms of combating cybercrime, but it’s something that is difficult to tackle due to attacks from other countries, and a lack of man-power to stop small cases of crime.
He noted that some forces have a limit on how much money is lost before they will investigate, meaning that some robberies involving hundreds of money could be considered ‘petty’.
The security expert stressed any steps taken by Government to ensure that anyone who commits a cybercrime is held accountable must be balanced with the need to protect free speech.
It’s a great place for free speech, and so that must be protected, but in a way that is acceptable in the eyes of reasonable people.
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If the Irish Govt are giving you advice on anything Internet related then you really do have problems.
Especially seeing as the same government were still using Windows Xp despite it being discontinued, I think that particular failure cost the taxpayer €3.5 million.
“The Government is thinking” – I stopped reading after that silly line.
No doubt they’ll introduce an Internet tax to pay for it.
Just send all your usernames and passwords to the relevant department.
Don’t they have them already.
The government won’t be happy until they have full control of the Internet, way to free for them at the moment.
All those Facebook videos of guards beating people up and people saying they are sh!t on this site must do the powers that be heads in.
It’s driving the powers that be nuts that there is something they can’t control.
The Internet has aided in exposing corruption and tranny. But at the same time has given them a tool for spying and keeping tabs on the public.
A few lads I know have been caught out cross dressing on the internet….
Corruption and transsexuality go hand in hand in many governments
Should read :
“The Government Is Thinking Up New Ways To Hack You”
:)
You are okay there, government – I’ll control my own information, if you don’t mind.
The same government who helped setup Irish Water, a company which they gave carte blanche powers to violate every part of the data protection act to track every citizen and all of their personal information in this country, and even after spending €80 million on consultants still ended up sending bills to dead people now want to give us advice on how not to get our data stolen online? Oh the sweet irony.
Is €80mn the final Bill?
The sub text to this article is control , but let’s start small and the government is doing it to protect you .
“It’s a great place for free speech, and so that must be protected, but in a way that is acceptable in the eyes of reasonable people.”
Now…what other asshat pocket stuffing politician coined the ‘reasonable people’ phrase…….I take it the ‘reasonable people’ are only those who agree with the Government and everyone else are ‘unreasonable people’ even if they are in the majority.
There appears to be 2 terms missing in this article .. “Snowden” and “encryption security” .. Ignoring Snowden for a moment (people usually do btw) , the degrading of encryption protection from the “Five Eyes” network and their political masters/slaves is a major stumbling block to stopping “hackers” and “other agencies” from attacking electronic networks.
Encrypted emails services are now illegal in Spain, The UK, China, North Korea and this is gaining ground in many other countries.
Snowden advised that people have password phrases, otherwise their passwords could be easily hacked in seconds..
Snowden also talked of the security apparatus being designed for attack and not defence (because of backdoors and encryption busting techniques.
Point is that if the governments can do it so can any half trained computer technician..
Using the war on terror to degrade our human rights (ie privacy) is not a good excuse, in fact, it plays into the hands of the terrorists and sends a chilling effect to the rest of the population.
Google Stasi techniques and consequences in east germany. And then put the surveillance apparatus now in place in the mix. I Hope that we dont have the wrong people get into power.. that might be very scary.
And lastly .. In an age of such surveillance techniques, If Ireland was invaded it would take an enemy about 1 hour to have a list of all possible AND FUTUREthreats against them (the wonders of technology) and we have no protections..
Snowden worked for a private company with access to all you phone calls and emails going back years.. And your childrens for that matter..
Too late… lol.
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