Tusla CEO Bernard Gloster has said that a member of the general public received an “extortion type email” after sensitive info was leaked in the recent HSE cyber attack.
The HSE hack also reportedly impacted the State childcare agency as well.
“A member of the public received a suspicious email that would have included their own name and certainly at the moment that would have appeared to have been extracted from our system in some way,” said Gloster during an interview with RTÉ’s Today With Claire Byrne.
He added that the email included instructions that “this file might be of interest to you, you might want to read this, maybe we can do a deal – those types of robotic emails.”
Reportedly, experts investigating this breach have said that they believe it was an isolated incident.
“We don’t believe at this stage that it’s associated with the main cyber attack,” said Gloster.
“It’s more of a type of robotic malware that seems to have gotten into our email system. All of that appears to be robotic and the only incident we have, but obviously for that person it is very concerning.
“The reality is it is an indication of concern for us, whether it’s connected to the main attack or not. We don’t believe it is, but we have to remain very vigilant about that.
“In terms of the public interest it doesn’t really matter where it’s come from, it’s a huge matter of concern.”
According to Gloster, the HSE cyber attack had a “crippling” effect on the TUSLA, as the agency shares much of the same IT infrastructure as the health service.
According to Solicitor Gareth Noble of firm KOD Lyons, the impact of the cyberattack was “worse than Covid” when it came as regards child law proceedings.
Tusla’s inability to access their own systems and with no end in sight is increasingly challenging. Many different types of court applications now impacted and behind that where lies ongoing child protection probes, multiagency work etc?
It’s really serious and worse than Covid— Gareth Noble (@GarNob) June 1, 2021
Reportedly, Tusla staff are now being forced to write with pen and paper as the entire agency is locked out of its IT systems.
“It really is back to the 1970s, 1980s social care system,” said Gloster, adding that the online referral portal would not be restored for “about four weeks or more.”
“It’s probably taking a bit longer, because when you’re taking a referral by phone, you’re obviously talking through all the details and have to write it down with pen and paper,” he added.
“Paper presents its own problems in terms of data protection and minding all of that paper.”