Garda National Crime Bureau

Gardai National Cyber Crime Bureau

 The increase in the number of people working from home, has seen a rise in the number of cyber-enabled crimes such as online frauds or harassments. At the same time, workers who are now home-office based can be less cyber safety aware, mixing work and personal online activity or devices which can lead to a greater risk of cyber-dependant crimes such as data interference or computer hackings.

The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau is responsible for investigating attacks on computer networks and critical data which can have a serious impact on a business or critical infrastructures and networks. GNCCB also supports investigations into online abuse against adults and children who are most at risk from exploitation. The primary forms of online crime are phishing frauds seeking personal or bank information, and ransomware attacks where data is encrypted and a ransom is demanded before the data will be released.  Cybercriminals don’t care who they target or what the impact of their crime will be. They only care about the money and will target anyone or any organisation they think will or can pay.

The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau’s advice to online users and companies is simple

• Have a secure and separate backup of your system and data
• Regularly update your software and system protections from official sources
• Don’t do online what you wouldn’t do offline
• Use a secure VPN to provide remote access to your corporate networks
• Double check requests to change bank or payment details with the supplier or manager in person
• Never share personal information or banking details online
• Don’t mix personal and work related devices or data
• If you didn’t buy a ticket, you didn’t win the prize
• Don’t friend people you don’t know or haven’t been personally introduced to
• Never pay a ransom – there is no guarantee they won’t ask for more and you may not get your data back
• Don’t use insecure public Wi-Fi for sensitive work or information
• Only buy from reputable online vendors or websites and use secure payment platforms
• If it appears too good to be true it probably is.
• Have a corporate response plan for cyber-attacks – they will happen eventually
• Don’t respond to unsolicited emails or attachments
• Use encryption and change passwords regularly

Further advice and support are available from the following online resources

www.garda.ie/cybercrime - for information and support about online crime protections

www.nomoreransom.org – solutions to data encryption by ransomware attacks

www.webwise.ie – for advice on online abuse and child protection

www.fraudsmart.ie – for advice on online and offline frauds and protections

‌