More than one thousand cyber security experts from around the world are gathering in Dublin this week for a major conference on how to tackle online threats.
The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) will include participants from nearly 80 countries with representatives from governments, academia, businesses and law enforcement.
The aim of the conference is to deliver worldwide coordination and cooperation among computer security and incident response teams when it comes to tackling the latest cyber security threats.
Organisations taking part include the World Economic Forum, the National Police Agency of Japan, Amnesty International, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
An Garda Síochána will deliver a presentation on tackling the growing problem of online child sexual abuse material.
Speaking after the presentation, online child safety specialist at the Centre for Cybersecurity, Detective Sergeant Mick Moran, warned companies that they could be held responsible if they come across the material, whether held by a member of staff, through a hack or through a contractor accessing the material and do not report it straight away.
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Speaking to RTÉ's News at One, he said that companies needed to treat this material as if it were malware or viruses.
He added that it was a good idea to have policy and procedure in place, which is acceptable to all users in the policy, but also making sure contractors bringing own devices are aware.
Meanwhile, a delegation from Ukraine will outline how they dealt with large-scale cyber attacks last year, sharing the tactics used by the criminals targeting the Governmental institutions and infrastructure.
"Dublin, and Ireland, is a perfect setting to host leading experts in this area with the cyber security sector on a significant growth trajectory on the island," said Brian Honan, CEO, BH Consulting and FIRST Annual Conference Programme Chair.
"The recent State of Cyber Security Sector in Ireland 2022 report states that by 2030 the industry will be worth €2.5 billion, an increase of €1.4bn from 2021, employing over 17,000 people," he added.
The organisers of the conference say it will be an opportunity for participants to share goals, ideas, and information on how to improve global computer security, with delegates learning the latest security strategies in incident management and gaining insights into analysing network vulnerabilities.
In May last year, the Health Service Executive was the victim of a major cyberattack which caused months of disruption and could end up costing €100 million.
An independent review of the attack carried out by PwC found that the HSE was operating on a frail IT system and did not have proper cyber expertise or resources.
The HSE recently said it was finding it "especially difficult" to recruit cyber security staff because of the competition for talent.
