MEPs discuss HSE ransomware attack during 'frightening' debate

MEPs at a hearing of the Committee on Security and Defence heard from a panel of experts warning about cyber threats to critical civil and military infrastructure across the EU.

The 2021 ransomware attack on the HSE was top of a list of cyber attacks discussed in a “frightening” debate at the European Parliament recently.

MEPs at a hearing of the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) heard from a panel of experts warning about cyber threats to critical civil and military infrastructure across the EU.

Pointing to the 2021 hack that cost the State more than €102m, they said the EU urgently needed a co-ordinated approach to guard against such attacks.

FTI Consulting’s security and defence director Ferdinand Gehringer, one of the experts on the panel, said: “Europe is no longer facing isolated isolated cyber incidents.

We are facing systematic hybrid operations, cyber attacks against critical infrastructure, combined with disinformation campaigns and political pressure.

European Cybersecurity Competence Centre executive director Luca Tagliaretti cited examples he said illustrate how threats have evolved from “hybrid attacks to blended reality".

Leading the list was the 2021 ransomware attack on the HSE, alongside a series of incidents affecting UK and French infrastructure. The hack was given as an example of “what cyber security attacks mean on civilian infrastructure”.

Experts also warned of the potential for offshore wind farms to be hacked and shut down, as well as threats from drones and smart cars.

Risks from smart cars

Paulina Uznanska, deputy head of the Centre for Eastern Studies’ China department, pointed out risks posed by smart cars.

“They can collect very sensitive data,” she told MEPs. “Imagine cars passing by military zones of critical infrastructure. They collect a lot of data and this can reveal traffic patterns around sensitive sites.”

Ms Uznanska warned the EU needed to address the risks posed by smart cars, which she likened to "smartphones on wheels".

"We think member states should act now at national level to protect their critical infrastructure and the military facilities because the risks are already on our roads,”  said Ms Uznanska.

SEDE chair Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann said: "I think this was a very important meeting. An interesting meeting but I think also a frightening meeting."

A Department of Justice spokesperson said: “The National Cyber Security Centre is maturing cybersecurity management standards for wind farm operators.

“Ireland is addressing threats from drones and connected vehicles.

“The Defence Forces are investing in counter unmanned aerial systems to detect and neutralise threatening drones, especially around major events and critical infrastructure."