The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Ireland is responsible for advising and informing the Irish Government IT and Critical National Infrastructure providers of current threats and vulnerabilities associated with network information security. The main roles of the NCSC are to lead in the management of major cyber security incidents across government, provide guidance and advice to citizens and businesses on major cyber security incidents, and develop strong international relationships in the global cyber security community for the purposes of information sharing. The NCSC encompasses the State’s National/Governmental Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT-IE). CSIRT-IE is an internationally accredited response team with its main function being the enhancement of situational awareness for constituents and for the provision of incident response for national cyber security incidents. CSIRT-IE has initially focused on the State sector and acts as a national point of contact for all cyber security matters concerning Ireland.
The National Cyber Security Centre of Ireland (NCSC) engages in a comprehensive set of tasks around cyber security, with primary focus on securing Government networks and securing Critical National Infrastructure and encompasses the State’s National/Governmental Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT-IE).
The initial focus of the NCSC and CSIRT-IE is to provide incident response services to Government networks and the main Critical National Infrastructure providers.
The primary strategy details how the NCSC will engage with its primary stakeholders and outline the mandate for the NCSC as a whole. The mandate for the NCSC includes
- Activities to reduce the vulnerability of critical systems and networks within the State to incidents and cyber-attacks;
- Effective response when such attacks occur;
- Establishing and maintaining cooperative relationships with national and international partners.