Cybercriminals don’t need to be sophisticated. They just need the opportunity—and in Ireland, there’s still too much low-hanging fruit.
Many of the vulnerabilities being exploited across Irish networks today aren’t new. They’re years old. Attackers are taking advantage of outdated systems that haven’t been patched, relying on free, off-the-shelf tools to scan for weaknesses—and finding them far too easily.
This isn’t a theoretical risk. It’s happening right now. And it’s putting businesses, infrastructure, and services at increasing risk.
Ireland’s Growing Exposure
Attackers are using automated tools like Shodan and Censys to identify systems running known vulnerabilities—many of which have had available patches for years. Apache servers are one common target, still running outdated versions that open the door to remote access and deeper infiltration.
“The top vulnerabilities we’re seeing exploited in Ireland are really old,” says Aileen Ward, Senior Intelligence Operations Analyst at Centripetal.
It’s a reminder that the problem isn’t always complexity. It’s complacency.
And the barrier to entry has never been lower. Malware kits are widely available. Breach guides are circulating in open forums. And when you combine those tools with a bit of social engineering—phishing emails, spoofed IT support calls—technical defenses can quickly be bypassed. The result? An environment where even well-resourced organizations are still vulnerable to basic tactics.
Ransomware Isn’t Just Back—It’s Evolving
Groups like Scattered Spider, once relatively quiet, are now re-emerging with coordinated campaigns and new partners. In just the last year, they’ve gone from zero documented attacks to a growing list that includes healthcare, aviation, and insurance sectors.
These aren’t scattershot attempts. They’re highly targeted operations, often engineered to trigger urgency and exploit trust. One campaign dubbed Click Fix was aimed specifically at healthcare workers—pressuring them into opening malicious links disguised as urgent system updates.
Ransomware isn’t just a data problem anymore. It’s a continuity problem. A resilience problem. And in sectors like healthcare or critical infrastructure, it’s increasingly a life-safety problem.
Cybercrime Isn’t Local Anymore
While the threats may feel close to home, their origins—and implications—are often global. Rising international tensions are contributing to a surge in nation-state activity, and the ripple effects are landing directly in private-sector networks.
It’s no longer just government agencies that need to think about geopolitical risk. Financial firms, energy providers, universities, and even small businesses can all be caught in the crossfire. Threat intelligence has to evolve to meet this complexity—linking local events to global patterns, and filtering signal from noise in real time.
So What Can You Do?
The good news is that progress doesn’t always require a full security overhaul. Here’s where organizations can start today:
- Patch the Basics – Many of the most exploited vulnerabilities are old and easily preventable. Fixing them closes the door to opportunistic attacks.
- Move Beyond Alerts – Static alerts aren’t enough. Actionable threat intelligence that proactively blocks known threats at the edge is essential.
- Train for Reality – Technical tools help, but your team is still the first line of defense. Make sure they know how to spot social engineering tactics and respond appropriately.
- Stay Vigilant – Ransomware tactics shift. Global conflicts escalate. Cyber defense is no longer just about reacting—it’s about anticipating.
It’s Time for a New Model
Ireland’s cyber challenge isn’t unique—but the consequences are real. As threat actors evolve, so must our defenses. That means moving away from legacy systems, static policies, and reactive thinking—and embracing an intelligence-powered model that actively prevents threats, not just detects them.
As Ward says, “It’s not just about surviving today’s threats. It’s about being ready for what’s coming next.”
If your current defenses are built for the attacks of five years ago, they won’t stand up to the next five months.
It’s time to adapt faster than the attackers do.
