Irish businesses must be vigilant as the risk of cyber attacks rises amid the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Fears have been raised in the Dail and Seanad about potential cyber attacks on Ireland in the wake of the Ukraine conflict.
And speaking to Dublin Live, Brian Honan - the CEO and Principal Consultant at BH Consulting in Blanchardstown in Dublin - is urging businesses and people in Ireland to be cautious.
He said: "Cyber criminals will use situations like this to try scam people out of money with war and humanitarian situations.
"They are trying to push out websites and links that could download a virus onto devices, or they could email with people sending money or donating to help victims of the Ukraine war, a lot of these might not be real.
"At the moment most cyber attacks are confined to Ukraine and to Russia."
It comes after several Irish institutions including the HSE, the Coombe Hospital in Dublin, and the RDS, have seen cyber attacks from cyber criminals abroad.
On February 8, data was stolen from RDS servers, including "personal data belonging to staff, members, and suppliers".
Hackers then encrypted the data and made it inaccessible to the RDS.
The incident was reported to An Garda Siochana and the RDS said that the attack was being investigating by IT partners and a specialist cyber security firm.
The RDS said they have notified everyone whose data was impacted.
When asked about what businesses and people can do to keep themselves safe, Mr Honan said that there are plenty of simple tips that can help.
He explained: "For most businesses and people they should be careful, keep devices updated with software and programmes, keep firewalls updated and use unique, strong passwords and two-step authentication.
"This is where you use a password and a code or an app on your phone, which means if someone wants to hack your device they have to get your phone as well and it provides that extra bit of security."
Mr Honan said that cyber security is now more important than ever thanks to how the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has changed people's working habits.
He added: "There's a lot of things that have happened in the last two or three years, businesses are now taking cyber security more seriously.
"The pandemic has forced many businesses to move online and for their employees to work remotely.
"Last year the ransomware attack on the HSE highlighted how important it is to have good infrastructure in place, and now the Ukraine and Russia conflict is showing how important it is for businesses to get the right programmes and appropriate frameworks."
Anyone looking for more advice or support can click here.
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter.
