Ireland's response to cyber security has been "woeful", "completely inadequate", "embarrassing" and a "can-kicking exercise", an Oireachtas Committee will hear today.

The Joint Committee on Transport and Communications will be told today that "time is of the essence" amid warnings that "Ireland is not politically neutral" as Vladimir Putin continues to wage war in Ukraine.

A number of security experts will provide a stark assessment of the country's ability to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks during a discussion on cyber security following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A Russian group brought the HSE offline in May 2021 when it hacked into its systems.

Dr Mike Scott, who works in a cyber-security role in Abu Dhabi, will tell TDs and senators that there is "no doubt that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has heightened the global concern around issues of cyber security and their impact on our sovereignty".

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He will warn that Ireland's response to cyber security to date has been "pretty woeful".

Dr Scott will say that while the HSE hack was a "wake-up call", Ireland's response was "not impressive".

"We really need to start taking this seriously," he will warn.

A cybersecurity warning came from the European Court of Auditors on Tuesday, covering the wide range of EU bodies — from the executive arm based in Brussels to specialist agencies located across Europe — that run the 27-nation bloc's day-to-day business.

"The EU must step up its efforts to protect its own organizations," Bettina Jakobsen, a member of the ECA, said in a statement accompanying a special report on cyber threats. "Such attacks can have significant political implications."