Louth councillors told they are 'prime targets for cyber criminals'

Louth County Councillors have been warned about the threat of cyber security breaches during a presentation at February's District meetings of Dundalk, Ardee and Drogheda. 

David Conway, Chief Executive of Louth County Council told Dundalk councillors that cyber security ranks third on its risk register.

Mr Conway warned that hackers have become "so sophisticated" and said he had been subject to an attempted breach, in which fake emails had been sent from his address. 

Helen Divilly, Head of Information Systems at Louth County Council said that cyber threats are increasing locally and nationally. 

Ms Divilly said that local authorities are "prime targets for cyber criminals" due to its collection of personal and sensitive data. 

She warned councillors that they are "high-value targets" for criminals, who are now targeting people rather than IT systems. 

Ms Divilly explained that councillors' email accounts and council-issued devices are "attractive entry points for attackers". 

She said the threat of cyber attacks are heightened during events such as elections, and added the risk will be at its peak when Ireland host the EU Presidency later this year. 

"It's expected that there will be increased activity from hostile actors, with threats to critical infrastructure including data centres and transatlantic cables," she said.

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Ms Divilly said that public representatives have already been targeted through social media attacks and phishing campaigns. 

She told the meeting that local authorities like Meath County Council and the Office of the Ombudsman have been compromised as recently as December 2025. 

She said Louth County Council are dealing with cyber security incidents "very, very regularly" and encouraged councillors to report anything they deem suspicious. 

Ms Divilly said risks to councillors in relation to cyber security include reputational damage, impersonation, fraud and GDPR risks. 

She confirmed Louth County Council has implemented cyber security training for its members. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.