Horse Sport Ireland statement regarding possible cyber-attack

Following weekend reports in the Sunday Independent, Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) can confirm that its computer systems were not the subject of a possible ransomware cyber-attack.

In response to information provided by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) from posts on X (formerly Twitter) and information on the dark web, the NCSC informed HSI that it was potentially the alleged victim of cyber-attack in October.

Horse Sport Ireland activated its IT crisis response plan and worked closely with external agencies, including the National Cyber Security Centre, to thoroughly investigate this matter.

At the end of this detailed investigation, it was clear that HSI’s systems were secure and had not been compromised in any way.

HSI was never contacted by any threat actors, also known as hackers, seeking a ransom from HSI.

The hackers later released personal information on the dark web that identified a different organisation as the source of compromised data.

The National Cyber Security Centre concluded that the owner of the data was most likely another entity. HSI then engaged to offer support and assistance in dealing with the incident.

As there had been no data breach at HSI, there was no requirement for HSI to contact any other parties in relation to this matter.