Taoiseach vows to pursue bomb hoax makers as hybrid attacks hit Ireland and Europe

Bomb threats hit Irish media

Emailed bomb threats reached RTÉ, Newstalk, Virgin Media Television and Mediahuis, publisher of the Irish Independent, shortly after 8.30am on Friday, 6 November. Several offices were evacuated until it was judged safe to return. RTÉ Radio 1 programming dropped out during Morning Ireland, and the 9am slot for Today with David McCullagh was filled with music and a recorded message for a time. Newstalk presenter Claire Byrne was mid-interview when she announced she would have to go off air. Sky also said it received a security threat on Friday, hours after RTÉ's evacuation.

A week of disruption across Europe

The threats came after several days of disruption across the continent. Dozens of flights across Europe were disrupted, with diversions and partial airport closures, while explosives disposal teams and sniffer dogs searched each aircraft identified. Flights were diverted or forced into emergency landings after hoax bomb threats on Tuesday, 3 November and Thursday, 5 November. In France, a cyber attack on Monday, 2 November damaged cold storage and control systems at blood banks in several regions. Freezers in parts of the UK and Europe were hit by a suspected hack that drove internal temperatures up and spoiled large amounts of food.

Supermarket fridges and the Russia question

Musgrave, which runs SuperValu, said 13 of its stores were affected by an attack on refrigeration systems. Its monitoring systems raised the alarm, staff removed all chilled and frozen products in the affected stores, and the issue was resolved later that day. Tonnes of food worth thousands of euros were thrown out. Ireland was one of seven European countries where such an attack was reported, weeks after hundreds of French supermarkets were hit by a similar breach, and it is not yet known whether the incidents are linked. Hazel Murray, chair of cybersecurity at Munster Technological University, said the same equipment in all the fridges made the attack a matter of scale, and that anything connected to the internet could be a target.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the disruption was 'worrying' and appeared to be coordinated, and that gardaí, the Defence Forces, and cyber and aviation authorities were working to establish who was behind it. He said it was not yet determined whether individuals or a coordinated attack were responsible, and that the State would 'go after' those responsible.

“We take the threats seriously, obviously, because the safety of the Irish public is our first priority.”

Martin said it was too early to say whether Russia was behind the bomb hoaxes, but acknowledged a 'general view' that escalating hybrid attacks have a 'Russian dimension'. He also said the number of cyber attacks has 'quadrupled' in recent times. Russian hacktivists have claimed the supermarket attacks and newsroom hoaxes, and experts say that does not rule out state involvement, since states often let proxies carry out attacks while keeping plausible deniability. Jesper Frederiksen, chief executive of cybersecurity firm Heimdal, said the attacks aim at reach and at testing how quickly governments respond.

“There's no money in this, so the payoff is psychological and political.”

Dublin summit security

Two significant EU presidency events are due in Dublin next week. The European Political Community summit on Thursday, 12 November will bring more than 50 prime ministers to the capital, and an informal EU Council meeting follows the next day. Martin said he was confident the events would pass off safely and described the Garda operation as the largest ever in the history of the State, larger than a visit by a US president. The Garda Representative Association plans five days of work-to-rule action coinciding with the events. A possible public sector strike on 12 November is also under negotiation, and Martin denied that the summit would force the Government's hand in those talks.