Galway’s City Hall fears Russian cyber-attacks

Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

City councillors are on high alert about the potential for a Russian cyberattack on City Hall.

The City Council’s Head of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) has warned elected members that “extra caution” is needed, due to the increased cyber risks associated with the Russian war on Ukraine.

In an email to councillors, Ailish Rohan and Sarah King in Corporate Services circulated advice that had identified City Hall as a possible target for a cyberattack.

The City Council has been advised by the National Cyber Security Centre that there may be a “potential threat to Irish entities, especially government and defence organisations, should the situation continue to escalate”.

They have been warned that if further sanctions are imposed on Russia by the European Union, then they expect “retaliation . . . could be in the form of low-level cyberattacks”.

Councillors were told that “think before you click” should be their default position when opening electronic communications.

“We have to take these threats and warnings seriously, so it is imperative that you are extra-vigilant with any unsolicited emails from any address, take greater care when opening attachments from unknown sources, clicking on links in documents etc,” councillors were warned.

NUI Galway was hit with a cyber-attack already in the past year, and the HSE’s system was crippled by one during the Covid-19 pandemic. Is it just a matter of time before City Hall succumbs, too?

This is a shortened preview version of Bradley Bytes. See this week’s Galway City Tribune for more. You can buy a digital edition HERE.