Presence of tech firms in Ireland may draw attention from hybrid attackers

The presence of big tech companies in Ireland may draw attention from hybrid attackers according to the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE).

A delegation from the centre is visiting Dublin this week after Ireland became the 33rd participating state of the centre in January.

Hybrid CoE aims to strengthen the security of its members by providing expertise and training for countering hybrid threats.

The term hybrid threat refers to a potential attack on a country that combines both military and non-military tactics such as cyberattacks.

Jori Arvonen, Steering Board Chair with Hybrid CoE, said that the presence of technology companies in Ireland is something that may draw attention from those who want to exert influence directly in Ireland or on some other entities.

“There has been cyberattacks on Irish entities and we have seen that there is good preparedness, and that is getting better all the time,” Mr Arvonen said.

“We believe there is much the other participating countries could learn from the Irish experience,” he added.

Hybrid CoE said that maritime security and protecting critical infrastructure such as undersea cables should be another area of interest for Ireland.