Cybersecurity chief says Ireland is under attack right now
![Cybersecurity chief says Ireland is under attack right now Cybersecurity chief says Ireland is under attack right now](/cms_media/module_img/7665/3832678_11_articlesmall_9472ac04-afad-4ef1-a5ba-eb9c23aee760.jpg.jpg)
Last month, ENISA highlighted AI-generated cyberattacks impersonating trusted people via social media, and noted a high volume of disinformation associated with Russia's war on Ukraine.
![NCSC director Richard Browne. Asked if the agency combats disinformation, he said: ‘Often the same people who conduct cyberattacks also conduct ... the disinformation or other type of active measure type campaigns.' File picture: Larry Cummins NCSC director Richard Browne. Asked if the agency combats disinformation, he said: ‘Often the same people who conduct cyberattacks also conduct ... the disinformation or other type of active measure type campaigns.' File picture: Larry Cummins](https://www.irishexaminer.com/cms_media/module_img/7667/3833668_2_articleinline_LC_20cyber_2001_1_.jpg)
“Those panels are in place and we are starting to draw down on those now and those panels have a life of two years.” It is due to launch another competition for the centre soon.
At the time he said: “Until you can proactively chase down [cyberattackers] you are always going to be responsive. So you have to get out there and into people’s faces.”
![ENISA director Juhan Lepassaar, NCSC director Richard Browne, Minister of State for eGovernment Ossian Smyth, and Microsoft's European cybersecurity policy director Florian Pennings launching a European Cyber Security Month publicity campaign in October. Picture: Maxwells ENISA director Juhan Lepassaar, NCSC director Richard Browne, Minister of State for eGovernment Ossian Smyth, and Microsoft's European cybersecurity policy director Florian Pennings launching a European Cyber Security Month publicity campaign in October. Picture: Maxwells](https://www.irishexaminer.com/cms_media/module_img/7667/3833665_3_articleinline_NO_20FEE_20MIN_20SMYTH_20CYBER_20SEC_20MNTH_20MX_201.jpg)
The global threats the NIS 2 directive is aimed at tackling are detailed in the threat landscape report published last month by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA).
Asked whether the NCSC was involved in Ireland’s efforts to combat disinformation campaigns from hostile states, Mr Browne said: “The simple answer is we do, and we always have. And it’s for a couple of reasons, but the most obvious one is that very often the same people who conduct cyberattacks also conduct in that part of the same organisation or some broader organisation the disinformation or other type of active measure type campaigns.”
Coming back to another threat identified in the ENISA report — on spies posing as recruiters or journalists in making contact with people — Mr Browne raised a deeper concern, to do with “deepfakes using AI (artificial intelligence) tools".