NEWSLETTER | January – Eanáir 2020

National Cyber Security Strategy

The Department of Communications has published the new National Cyber Security Strategy 2019 – 2024 for Ireland. The strategy outlines how Government will implement measures to protect our nation, to develop our cyber security sector, and to deepen our international engagement on the future of the internet.

We are delighted that Government is committed to supporting Cyber Ireland, under Measure 15, and in exploring new mechanisms to support industry-academia-government cyber security collaboration. There were also a number of relevant measures for Cyber Ireland’s objectives & activities:

  • Measure 12 – Government to support second and third level training & skills development
  • Measure 13 – Science Foundation Ireland to promote cyber careers through SFI Smart Futures
  • Measure 14 – Science Foundation Ireland to explore the feasibility to fund a significant initiative in Cyber Security Research
  • Measure 16 – Enterprise Ireland will develop a cyber security programme to facilitate collaborative links between enterprise and the research community

You can read the full strategy here

NCSCs Alerts & Advisories on cyber security issues that may affect Ireland

Microsoft Patches Serious Crypto Flaw Found by NSA – Multiple Critical Microsoft Vulnerabilities 

Welcome to Cyber Ireland's New Members!

Welcome to our new members in January. For any organisations that haven’t signed up to become members, you can find more information on membership at the link below.

Save the Date – Regional Chapter Meetings
We will be running a series of regular meet-ups around the country through the Cyber Ireland Regional Chapters in 2020. Cluster Members will receive an invitation to the meeting in their region (If you’re not a member sign-up today, it’s free until May 2020). Please do save the date for your regional meeting:

  • South Chapter meeting in Cork – 17th February,

  • West Chapter meeting in Galway – 20th February,

  • Dublin Chapter Meeting in March, Date TBC

  • South-East Chapter Meeting in April, Date TBC

Cyber Women Ireland – Are you interested in participating in a Cyber Security Group for Women?

Cyber Women Ireland (CWI) looks to encourage the advancement and capacity of women involved in all aspects of the Irish security sector and security community, through the exchange of information and the cultivation of productive relationships.

Who is CWI for?

  • All genders who are genuinely interested in learning more about women’s issues in Cyber and who are passionate about the advancement of women in Cyber and closing the gender gap.

  • People who want a support network to connect with like-minded professionals in the cyber security sector

  • students and young professionals to connect with experienced cyber professionals

  • People who are passionate about creating visibility of women in Cyber across all job levels (Entry level to C-suite)

If you would like to join and contribute to development of CWI, please complete our survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2JQ77XH 

 

Transition Year Girls could be the next generation of Cyber Security Professionals

The Immersive STEM Campus Week took place at four colleges across the country as part of I WISH on the 13th to 17th of January. I WISH is an initiative to inspire, encourage and motivate young female students to pursue careers in STEM.
During the Immersive STEM Campus week at Cork Institute of Technology, eighty transition year students had the opportunity to learn about cyber security. The students learned about IoT systems through building a circuit to measure room temperature and were then shown some security issues in the system, including an SQL injection vulnerability, which allowed them to bypass a login page and hack into the system. 

Could this programme be expanded to other colleges nationally to encourage more young female students to consider a career in cyber security? 

 

Creating a Predictable Talent Pipeline that Produces “Job-Ready” Cybersecurity Professionals On-Demand. 

Talent On-Demand is a collaborative venture that demonstrates how to guarantee talent performance using a “grow your own” hybrid approach to mitigate common frustrations and risks when hiring or up-skilling cybersecurity talent. To learn more: https://www.socraticarts.com/solutions/talent-on-demand

 

€300m Funding (2020 – 2024) under the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) for Higher Education to meet priority skills needs for enterprise.

Human Capital Initiative funding for Higher Education Pillar 3 now open. An opportunity for academic institutes to develop innovative & agile projects to address the Cyber Security Skills Shortage. Let us know if your institution is interested in this funding and engaging with the Cyber Security industry.

For more information

TU Dublin awarded €2.1 million for Industry Solutions Hub, including Cyber Security

The Collaboratory is an Industry Solutions Hub, focusing on Cyber Security, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, which has received €2.1m funding under Regional Enterprise Development Fund. Based on the Blanchardstown Campus, the centre will support start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs and MNCs in the Dublin North West region and nationwide in catalysing opportunities available through these emergent technologies.

Read more at: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/whats-happening/news/2020/tu-dublin-awarded-21-million-under-regional-enterprise-development-fund.html

Cyber Security Professor post, specifically for women, approved at Cork Institute of Technology

Twenty posts at professorial-level in higher education have been announced for women under the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative. One of these will be a Chair of Cyber Security at Cork Institute of Technology. The initiative aims to accelerate progress in achieving gender balance at the senior academic level in higher education institutions.

Read more at https://www.cit.ie/currentnews?id=1456  

HIHI Call for Healthcare Innovations – Potential for Cyber Security applications in Healthcare

Health Innovation Hub Ireland offers companies the opportunity for pilot and clinical validation studies and provides. The call welcomes innovations that address ANY healthcare need that could significantly impact healthcare in Ireland and internationally. Previous HIHI Call Projects include ViClarity’s auditing tool for HIQA Standards – https://hih.ie/project/viclarity 
Further information on the call can be found at – https://hih.ie/engage/annual-call-2019/ or contact [email protected] 

What's Going on in Cyber

Cyber Ireland at IISF

IISF January 2020 Chapter Meeting – 4pm, The Alex Hotel, Dublin. The meeting will take the form of six 15-minute presentations from associate members, focusing on hot topics for 2020, one of which will be Cyber Ireland. So do come along to support! 

Registration at: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/iisf-january-2020-chapter-meeting-tickets-89736067995

Conferences
Slándáil 2020 – The inaugural National Security Summit Ireland will take place in the Helix on the 25th and 26th February. The day long cyber security conference on the 26th February will examine how cyber security and our cyber security community fit into the wider national security architecture. Cyber Ireland members can avail of a 50% discount using the promo code ‘CyberIreland50’ for the first 50 people. For more information and regular updates see www.nssi.ie 

Integrity360 – Security First Conference 2020, 29th January, Marker Hotel, Dublin – www.securityfirst.ie 

Meet-ups