THE Department of Health has been subjected to a cyber attack that is similar to the one targeted at the HSE, it has been confirmed.
The Department has shut down all of its systems and the National Cyber Security Centre are investigating the attacks. An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces are also involved in the investigations.
The Department has said that it is working to restore its data.
A statement said: “The Department of Health can confirm that late last week it was subject to a ransomware attack similar to the attack on the HSE.
“Since Thursday, we have been working to respond to this incident.
‘We continue to work closely with all relevant authorities including the National Cyber Security Centre, An Garda Síochána and the HSE. We continue to assess the impact across all our systems and our focus is on protecting our data.”
RTÉ say that a digital ransom note has been left on the IT system.
No daily Covid-19 update was issued on Saturday evening by the Department.
The Garda Press Office said: “In this matter the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is the lead agency. An Garda Síochána is liaising with the Department of Health and the NCSC. An Garda Síochána is not making any further comment at this time.”