Ireland’s businesses have been warned of the need to have cyber security safeguards during a recent cyber security conference staged in Belfast. The Check Point Cyber Security Summit took place at Titanic Belfast, with bosses from Microsoft and NI’s GitHub leading the conversation on how to combat hackers and cyber threats.
Billed as a summit unlike any other in the cyber security realm, convening cyber and business leaders from across the public and private sectors in Northern Ireland, the event was aimed at facilitating collaboration. It focused on how Northern Ireland can “meet the challenges of the rapidly evolving threat landscape and the opportunities that 2024 presents.”
Cyber security chief linked to ‘IRA’ black taxi smear controversy to step down - The summit came after two major online security incidents in Northern Ireland last year, the PSNI data breach, which involved human error rather than hacking, and at Royal Mail.[1]
The latter involved Russia-linked ransomware which forced the company to suspend international postal deliveries and affected the company’s sorting base in Mallusk, Northern Ireland.
Check Point’s country manager, the Belfast-born Seamus McCorry, said the conference took place in a bid to spotlight Northern Ireland as a location for cybersecurity growth. “Check Point is a key player right across the island, and today was about bringing together a new community,” said Mr. McCorry. “Belfast is our key hope for cyber security across Northern Ireland, and it’s great to have it here for the first time. Every business, no matter how big or small, needs to have a cyber security practice. It’s so important and it needs to be from the boardroom down. Cybersecurity attacks can be absolutely devastating, and I think it’s just about best-practice, the landscape changes so much over time and it’s about keeping up to date with the latest developments on new threats, and new technology. Things like cyber hygiene, and here we’ve talked about prevention strategies in terms of ransomware, rather than a detection strategy.”
Mark Weir, Check Point’s regional director for the UK and Ireland, also praised the talent on display in Northern Ireland during the conference. “It’s a great opportunity to be in Belfast, it’s a booming hub for talent and it always has been, but I think now we are really rediscovering it,” he said.
Mr. McCorry added, “We are finding with traditional industries such as companies like Harland and Wolff, it’s about collaboration. Companies need to work with teams across the globe around using digital tools. It’s about protecting intellectual property for these companies, both internally and externally.”
Mr. McCorry also highlighted the need for students who study cyber-themed degrees in Northern Ireland to remain here to aid the industry. “I think if we’ve learnt anything across the past years, it is that location is both important and not important, and I hope everyone in Northern Ireland embraces it. It’s great to see the breadth of students here interested in this sector, and it’s good to show them the opportunities here. My own son is in Queen’s, and I am keen for him to stay here and grow.”
This article is presented at no charge for educational and informational purposes only.
Red Sky Alliance is a Cyber Threat Analysis and Intelligence Service organization and wish all a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. For questions, comments or assistance, please contact the office directly at 1-844-492-7225, or feedback@redskyalliance.com
Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings:
- Reporting: https://www. redskyalliance. org/
- Website: https://www. redskyalliance. com/
- LinkedIn: https://www. linkedin. com/company/64265941
Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings:
REDSHORTS - Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5504229295967742989
[1] https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/belfast-can-be-hub-against-cyber-crime-firms-are-told-at-cyber-security-summit/a542658953.html
Comments