Ireland's Data Centres Face Increased Cybersecurity Risks Amidst Growing Opposition

• •Ireland's data centres are increasingly targeted by hackers due to their concentration.
• •Recent outages, like the one affecting Revolut, demonstrate the cascading risks of data centre failures.
• •Opposition to data centres in Ireland is linked to disinformation campaigns, according to industry leaders.

Ireland's data centres are becoming prime targets for hackers, according to cybersecurity expert Brian Honan. He noted that the country hosts numerous data centres, which makes it vulnerable to cybercriminals and nation-state attackers. Recent incidents, including a power outage affecting Revolut, highlight the cascading effects of data centre failures. Honan emphasized that the concentrated risk associated with reliance on a few providers could have significant impacts on national security and infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ronan Kelly, head of Digital Infrastructure Ireland, claims that opposition to data centres is fueled by conspiracy theories and disinformation, particularly from state actors like China. He argues that this opposition could harm Ireland's economy in the long run, drawing parallels to Brexit. The debate around data centres has intensified since the Irish government lifted a moratorium on their expansion earlier this year, leading to increased planning challenges and public opposition.