The head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has said that claims last week of a cyberattack on the Department of Foreign Affairs were false.
Richard Browne said his office immediately launched an investigation after cyber criminals posted online that they had stolen data from the department and were offering it for sale.
"These weren't hackers, they were essentially scammers who pretended they had stolen a significant amount of data from the Department of Foreign Affairs and posted that they were seeking a ransom for that," Mr Browne said.
"We launched an immediate investigation but it was very clear, very quickly, that there was no significant compromise, if any compromise at all, but we acted as if there were, to be sure there were no gaps, no vulnerabilities, no issues or risks to public sector data," he added.
The alleged hackers subsequently posted online that they had not stolen data from the department and that it had been a scam.
"It happens from time to time, these are all criminals, so it is not surprising that some criminals are just less good at being criminals than others," Mr Browne said.
Election disinformation
Mr Browne said the National Cyber Security Centre is hyper-vigilant for any threats to democracy in the run-up to referendums and elections this year.
"Disinformation is an ongoing challenge," he said.
"We've seen some, but not very much active, formal disinformation activity. There is lots of misinformation but that is different," he added.
"We work with the Electoral Commission, Coimisiún na Meán, gardaí and the Defence Forces to ensure we are hyper-vigilant around any threats to the integrity of the political and democratic process."
"That means were are looking very closely at intelligence sources, at potential victims of hacking campaigns, we're looking at disinformation actors and for any kind of risk to the integrity of the process - that means European elections, referendums and any potential general election," Mr Browne said.
TikTok advice remains the same
In April 2023, the National Cyber Security Centre advised Government departments and State agencies against the use of the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on official devices.
The NCSC said it would keep the matter under review and today the centre's director said his advice remains the same.
"It is not a ban, it is a piece of advice that people should not have any social media on Government devices, but specifically that source (TikTok)," Mr Browne said.
"That doesn't mean people shouldn't use it. Ministers and politicians obviously have to engage with their constituents and audience but they shouldn't be doing it from a Government device."
"It is about a risk to the integrity of the data on the device and risks of other kinds of active manipulation," he added.
Cybersecurity conference
Mr Browne was speaking to reporters after delivering an address at a major cybersecurity conference taking place in Dublin today.
'Zero Day Con' is an annual convention focused on tackling the latest online threats.
Hundreds of delegates are hearing from speakers in the fields of industry, law enforcement, medicine and education.
The conference theme is 'evolve' to reflect how the cyber environment is constantly changing particularly when it comes to the ever increasing number and type of threats facing organisations at all levels.
