AGENCY ‘IN WRONG PLACE’

CALLS are growing for the agency tasked with leading Ireland’s response to cyberattacks to be transferred to the remit of the Department of Justice or Defence.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) currently sits under the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

The NCSC is responsible for advising and informing Government IT and critical national infrastructure providers of current threats and vulnerabilities associated with network information security.

Security sources told the Irish Mail on Sunday this weekend that the agency would be far better suited to the Justice or Defence departments.

‘I’d have to ask why the National Cyber Security Centre is sitting in the Department of Communications when it is national security,’ one source said. ‘It should be in Justice or Defence. The two departments with responsibility for national and international security in this country are Justice and Defence, the gardaí and the military.’

Another source said: ‘The gardaí wouldn’t like to see Defence with it or military, but it would certainly be better than who has it. This will cost us jobs if industries are attacked.’

Meanwhile, Independent TD and former member of the Army Ranger Wing Cathal Berry, said the capacity of the NCSC needs to be

‘improved’. ‘Their budget of €5m a year is not sufficient. There are currently only 25 people on the staff and the [role] of the director of the National Cyber Security Centre has been vacant for the last year.’

He said the NCSC was ‘intended to be a multi-agency entity’, with the support of members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. ‘However, as a result of the staff retention crisis in the Defence Forces, two seats are currently vacant. That’s simply just not good enough. The Defence Forces need their own dedicated cyber unit.’