RTÉ is investigating a potential cyber security incident after receiving an alert over the weekend.
The broadcaster was, in recent days, contacted by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the division of the Department of Justice that monitors online threats to the State.
In a statement, an RTÉ spokesman said the organisation was “contacted by the NCSC over the weekend regarding information it had become aware of”.
“RTÉ is currently reviewing this information and assessing its veracity,” the spokesman said.
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It is understood the NCSC was contacted with a threat that may target several state bodies and has an expiry deadline of August 4th. The threat may relate to as many as seven bodies.
The NCSC believes RTÉ may be one of the organisations targeted in the threat. It has advised the broadcaster of this information. Sources familiar with the situation said there is not currently a high degree of alarm over the threat.
The exact nature of the threat is not yet known, while it is also unclear when RTÉ will complete its review of the information. Sources suggested a ransomware element may be involved.
Last year, the head of the NCSC warned Ireland faced a “far greater” risk of significant cyber attacks than previously experienced.
In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, the NCSC received more than 5,200 reports which gave rise to 721 confirmed incidents and 309 investigations by the centre.
The vast majority of the incidents were considered to be at the lower end of a five-level scale used to determine the seriousness of a particular event. None of the incidents reported were deemed severe enough to be categorised in the top two levels of the scale.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said the NCSC does not comment on operational matters.
There has been enhanced focus on the State’s cyber security defences since a crippling attack on the HSE in 2021. That attack took many of the health service’s systems offline, led to significant data breaches and cost more than €100 million to address. It is facing more than 470 legal actions, according to figures from last year.
