IRISSCON 2026 puts preparedness for cyberattacks and hybrid threats in focus
Ireland risks being dangerously unprepared for increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks and hybrid threats unless the Government acts urgently to strengthen the country’s national security capabilities, according to Brian Honan, head of the Irish Reporting and Information Security Service (IRISSCERT) and founder of BH Consulting.
The warning comes ahead of IRISSCON 2026, IRISSCERT’s annual cybersecurity conference, which takes place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday, 11 November. Help Net Security will be attending the event.
Recent incidents include cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe, bomb threats that disrupted flights to and from Ireland, and emailed bomb threats that forced evacuations and disrupted operations at Irish media organisations, including RTÉ.
The incidents come as Ireland prepares to host major EU political meetings. Honan said they highlight how quickly threats can disrupt businesses and public services, and raise questions about Ireland’s ability to detect and respond to incidents that can interrupt essential services and undermine public confidence.
“While Ireland has a National Cyber Security Strategy, we still lack an overarching national security strategy that brings together all the elements needed to defend our country against modern threats,” Honan said.
He warned that without a national strategy, agencies and organisations risk responding in isolation. A coordinated approach, he said, would help ensure they have the resources they need and can work together when an incident affects several sectors at once.
Honan called on the Government to complete the transposition of the EU’s NIS2 Directive into Irish law and address questions about the cybersecurity resources available to the Defence Forces, the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau and the National Cyber Security Centre.
He said the Government also needs to consider how it supports Irish businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. Many are increasingly exposed to cyberattacks and lack the resources, expertise and practical guidance to protect themselves, keep operating during an incident and recover afterwards.
“Cybersecurity is no longer simply an IT issue. It is an economic security issue, a national security issue, and ultimately an issue of public safety. We cannot afford to wait for a major national crisis, similar to the ransomware attack against the HSE in 2021, before taking it seriously.”
Responsibility for the recent incidents remains unclear. Honan said Ireland must be ready to respond whether an attack comes from cybercriminals, politically motivated groups or hostile states. He called for national infrastructure, public services and businesses to be better prepared to withstand attacks, maintain essential services and recover quickly.
“One of the biggest challenges with hybrid threats is that we may never establish with certainty who is behind an attack. But that uncertainty cannot become an excuse for inaction,” he said.
IRISSCON 2026 will bring together international cybersecurity experts, researchers, industry professionals and law enforcement representatives to discuss emerging threats and how organisations can prepare for them. The programme will cover threats to telecommunications infrastructure, cybercrime, emerging attack techniques and the role of human factors in security incidents.
