Irish politicians ‘at risk of email hacking’

Senior Irish political figures may be at risk of having their emails hacked in much the same way as Hillary Clinton experienced in the 2016 US presidential election.

Irish politicians ‘at risk of email hacking’

That is according to the National Cyber Security Centre.

In March 2016, the personal Gmail account of John Podesta, a former White House chief of staff and chairman of Clinton’s presidential campaign, was compromised in a data breach.

A collection of Mr Podesta’s emails, many of which were work-related, were stolen.

A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre warned that the same thing could happen to a significant political figure in Ireland.

“Someone clicked on a link, and someone got a stack of Hillary Clinton’s emails,” he said.

A large-scale ex-filtration of data from a government network was something that kept him awake at night.

He also worried that the type of cyber attacks that happened in Georgia, Ukraine, and elsewhere where electricity grids were taken down could happen in Ireland.

“Culturally, we are not attuned to these geopolitical issues because we have always been very well protected,” he said.

The internet had changed our cosy view of the world. “We are not invulnerable anymore. An IP address in Ireland is just as vulnerable as an IP address anywhere else in the world.”

However, just how vulnerable our state agencies were to a data leak was “imponderable”.

“There are some parts of Government that are extremely secure, and there are some parts where it is less certain, “ he said.

He went on to describe the different types of people seeking to make money or do damage using the internet.

“At the top level, you have got very sophisticated state actors — governments who are trying to do various things on — steal information; disrupt things.

“In the middle, you have got people who are trying to make money and who might have some skills, and at the back end you have teenagers in the bedroom.”

“Traditionally, the tools that the states used took months to go from them to the kids in the bedroom. Now it is happening in a week, and it has been noted globally as being a major issue.”

The National Cyber Security Centre that was established in 2011 is under the remit of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

The centre takes the lead in the management of significant cybersecurity incidents and co-ordinates the response. It also provides guidance and advice to citizens and business.

The Security of Network and Information Systems Directive must be transposed into Irish law by May this year.

It requires digital service providers such as online retailers, search engines and cloud computing services to take measures to manage security risks.

The centre that currently has a staff of about 20 is now involved in a major recruitment campaign.

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