Nearly 20% of Ireland’s Top Firms Hit by Cyber Attacks in Past Two Years as .IE Launches Digital Trust Mark
New data reveals that 17% of Ireland’s leading organizations have suffered significant cyber attacks since 2024, underscoring growing digital threats in the country. The findings, part of a survey of 354 essential Irish firms conducted by Amárach for .IE in January, highlight vulnerabilities tied to phishing scams (60%) and system exploitation (21.3%) the most common attack vectors.
In response, .IE has introduced Ireland’s first Digital Trust Mark, a certification designed to verify the security and reliability of websites and emails. Modeled after an "NCT for online identity," the mark a wolfhound symbol signals that a business meets industry-defined best practices for digital trust. Organizations can apply via DigitalTrust.ie, where their domain, email, and security configurations are assessed using a proprietary scoring system. Those achieving an A-rating can display the mark for 12 months, while others receive guidance on improvements.
The initiative arrives amid a 137% surge in fraud-related crimes in Ireland over the past year, driven by bank scams, phishing, and smishing, according to Garda data. .IE’s Chief Growth Officer, Louise McKeown Doogan, emphasized the need for visible trust indicators, noting that many websites appear functional but lack authenticity and security standards.
Open to .ie, .com, and other domains, the Digital Trust Mark aims to become a standard for online interactions in Ireland within the next year. Applicants receive their grade within one working day, with non-compliant domains provided a detailed remediation plan. The move reflects broader concerns about ransomware sophistication including attackers now offering customer support and the urgent need for nationwide digital resilience.
Source: https://techbuzzireland.com/2026/03/04/cyber-attacks-hit-fifth-of-firms-as-online-nct-launched/
.ie cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dot-ie
Amárach Research cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/amarach-research
"id": "DOTAMA1772627672",
"linkid": "dot-ie, amarach-research",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "1/2024",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'location': 'Ireland',
'type': 'leading organizations'}],
'attack_vector': ['phishing scams', 'system exploitation'],
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-01',
'description': 'New data reveals that 17% of Ireland’s leading organizations '
'have suffered significant cyber attacks since 2024, with '
'phishing scams (60%) and system exploitation (21.3%) as the '
'most common attack vectors. The findings are part of a survey '
'of 354 essential Irish firms conducted by Amárach for .IE in '
'January 2024.',
'recommendations': 'Organizations should adopt industry-defined best '
'practices for digital trust, such as the .IE Digital '
'Trust Mark, to verify security and reliability of '
'websites and emails.',
'references': [{'source': 'Amárach survey for .IE'},
{'source': 'Garda data on fraud-related crimes'}],
'title': 'Nearly 20% of Ireland’s Top Firms Hit by Cyber Attacks in Past Two '
'Years',
'type': ['phishing', 'system exploitation']}