Does Russia have access to Irish state passwords?
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of a Russian-linked password management software used by Irish state agencies.
Employees of three key State agencies use a computer programme called Passwork to generate and protect their passwords. It’s a cybersecurity measure. But what they didn’t know, before it was revealed by The Irish Times, is that Passwork, which purports to be EU-based, has extensive links to a Russian company licensed by Russia’s security service. The agencies using Passwork are the Office of Public Works, the State Laboratory, which provides chemical testing and scientific advice to Government departments, and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), the agency tasked with, among other things, helping consumers stay cyber safe. It is unclear how many other Irish State agencies use Passwork. So what does it mean for State security? Who has access to these passwords? And what does the Russian owner of the Spanish-based company that sold the Passwork programme to the State agencies say? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Topics covered
- cybersecurity
- state security
- Russia
- password management
- Irish government
Keywords
- cybersecurity
- Passwork
- Irish state agencies
- Russia
- passwords
- Office of Public Works
- State Laboratory
- CCPC
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Irish Times, Passwork, Office of Public Works, State Laboratory, Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Russian company
Places: Ireland, Russia, Spain
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