Latest news with #JamesMurphy
RTÉ News
23-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Boat owners protest over access to Sceilg Mhichíl
James Murphy, Chairperson of of Skellig Coast Tourism Network, discusses a new protest by boat owners in a legal row over licences that is preventing access to the world famous Sceilg Mhichíl.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Why so many military veterans move into cybersecurity
Leading a foot patrol through an empty village in a conflict zone might seem a world away from working in a security operations centre (SOC) in a major enterprise. But, says former infantryman James Murphy, when you see a trashcan by the side of the road, and you know no-one is collecting rubbish that day: "The spider hairs on the back of your neck start tingling." And that vigilance, says Mr Murphy, now director of veterans and families at the Forces Employment Charity, is precisely the sort of instinct the cybersecurity industry covets. Cyberattacks are a fact of life for organizations worldwide, whether straightforward cybercrime or politically motivated. The UK's armed forces recently launched an accelerated training program for recruits to bolster its cyber capabilities, with successful candidates in line for one of the highest armed forces starting salaries. But there has long been a steady march in the other direction. In the UK, the Forces Employment Charity's TechVets programme typically helps 15 to 20 people a month into employment, with between 40 and 60% of those head into cybersecurity. And that is a much needed supply of workers - there is a global shortfall of four million cyber professionals, according to the World Economic Forum. The need for those workers has been underlined in the UK, where operations at two leading retailers have been disrupted by hackers. The route between the military and cybersecurity is not always direct. Interim chief information security officer Mo Ahddoud spent 10 years in the Royal Artillery, serving tours in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Germany before leaving in 1999. The "natural transition" at the time was into other uniformed organizations, such as the police or the prison service. However, he says: "I realized the world was changing." As part of his resettlement process, he took online courses in computer applications, then studied PC repair. From there he moved into support desk work, and found his way into cyber security, with organizations such as BAE Systems and Universal Studios. Mr Ahddoud's military training has always informed his approach to cybersecurity. He recalls being told by an officer, that it's not so important how deep a solider can dig. "When you're being fired on, you'll have the motivation to dig a really big hole." The real skill is dealing with problems, such as fixing broken supply chains, or coping when communications go down. "That mindset was always around the process. How do you fix it?" In addition, he says, military personnel always think in terms of "risk, defence in depth, layers of defence". That fits "very neatly" with cybersecurity, where risk is ever-present and must be monitored. Responses to potential attacks are prepared in advance, while accepting no plan "survives first contact" with an adversary. "You have to work and be agile around it, because it never plays out how you expect it to," says Mr Ahddoud. Former military personnel are particularly suited to roles in so-called blue teams, says Catherine Burn, associate director at cybersecurity recruitment firm, LT Harper. These are roles such as security operations, incident response and forensics, in contrast to red teamers - the ethical hackers who look for vulnerabilities and often prefer to operate alone. As well as being "grafters", Ms Burn says, vets tend to be strong team players and can keep their cool under stress. Afterall: "A lot of these situations are disasters." But the cybersecurity world has much to offer veterans too. Crystal Morin joined the United States Air Force, in part, because she wanted to learn a language. She was assigned to learn Arabic, around the time of the Arab spring, and worked on counter threat finance and counter terrorism. After leaving the service, Ms Morin joined a defence contractor, again working on counterterrorism, eventually transitioning to cyber terrorism then cyber threat intelligence. She's now a cybersecurity strategist at US security firm, Sysdig. "All of my training has been hands on," she says. But she adds, other vets had "cross-trained" while in the service from other roles such as artillery or logistics, while others still used their GI Benefits to study security formally. Whatever their path into cybersecurity, she says, it's a natural transition. "A SOC [security operations centre] is exactly the same as the security fields we were working in. The adrenaline, the problem solving, right? It's the keeping the peace. Fighting the bad guys." But, Mrs Morin adds, "The camaraderie is exactly like the military, the busy weeks, the quiet weeks, the jokes that nobody gets unless you've been there done that…It's just a really tight knit community." Mr Murphy says employers have become more aware of the skills that veterans bring. "Once an employer picks up someone from the ex-Forces community, they will want to come back for another one." That's not to say some adjustments aren't necessary. Onboarding processes can vary between organizations, while a lack of standardization and job titles can be a contrast with the highly organized military world. The key is pinpointing the sort of organisation they want to work in, Mr Murphy says. "Where you get up in the morning and you're already looking forward to going to work, and you're working in a team where you feel you belong, where you feel you're having an impact." Although the nature of the "impact" might be different to what they're used to. As Mrs Morin says, working in the private world is different to directly tackling terrorism. "I do miss being able to take down the bad guys and defend the world... I can't so much put folks in jail anymore." 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BBC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Why so many military veterans move into cybersecurity
Leading a foot patrol through an empty village in a conflict zone might seem a world away from working in a security operations centre (SOC) in a major says former infantryman James Murphy, when you see a trashcan by the side of the road, and you know no-one is collecting rubbish that day: "The spider hairs on the back of your neck start tingling."And that vigilance, says Mr Murphy, now director of veterans and families at the Forces Employment Charity, is precisely the sort of instinct the cybersecurity industry are a fact of life for organizations worldwide, whether straightforward cybercrime or politically UK's armed forces recently launched an accelerated training program for recruits to bolster its cyber capabilities, with successful candidates in line for one of the highest armed forces starting there has long been a steady march in the other the UK, the Forces Employment Charity's TechVets programme typically helps 15 to 20 people a month into employment, with between 40 and 60% of those head into that is a much needed supply of workers - there is a global shortfall of four million cyber professionals, according to the World Economic need for those workers has been underlined in the UK, where operations at two leading retailers have been disrupted by hackers. The route between the military and cybersecurity is not always chief information security officer Mo Ahddoud spent 10 years in the Royal Artillery, serving tours in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Germany before leaving in "natural transition" at the time was into other uniformed organizations, such as the police or the prison he says: "I realized the world was changing." As part of his resettlement process, he took online courses in computer applications, then studied PC there he moved into support desk work, and found his way into cyber security, with organizations such as BAE Systems and Universal Ahddoud's military training has always informed his approach to cybersecurity. He recalls being told by an officer, that it's not so important how deep a solider can dig. "When you're being fired on, you'll have the motivation to dig a really big hole."The real skill is dealing with problems, such as fixing broken supply chains, or coping when communications go down."That mindset was always around the process. How do you fix it?" In addition, he says, military personnel always think in terms of "risk, defence in depth, layers of defence".That fits "very neatly" with cybersecurity, where risk is ever-present and must be to potential attacks are prepared in advance, while accepting no plan "survives first contact" with an adversary."You have to work and be agile around it, because it never plays out how you expect it to," says Mr military personnel are particularly suited to roles in so-called blue teams, says Catherine Burn, associate director at cybersecurity recruitment firm, LT are roles such as security operations, incident response and forensics, in contrast to red teamers - the ethical hackers who look for vulnerabilities and often prefer to operate well as being "grafters", Ms Burn says, vets tend to be strong team players and can keep their cool under stress. Afterall: "A lot of these situations are disasters." But the cybersecurity world has much to offer veterans too. Crystal Morin joined the United States Air Force, in part, because she wanted to learn a was assigned to learn Arabic, around the time of the Arab spring, and worked on counter threat finance and counter leaving the service, Ms Morin joined a defence contractor, again working on counterterrorism, eventually transitioning to cyber terrorism then cyber threat intelligence. She's now a cybersecurity strategist at US security firm, Sysdig."All of my training has been hands on," she says. But she adds, other vets had "cross-trained" while in the service from other roles such as artillery or logistics, while others still used their GI Benefits to study security their path into cybersecurity, she says, it's a natural transition. "A SOC [security operations centre] is exactly the same as the security fields we were working in. The adrenaline, the problem solving, right? It's the keeping the peace. Fighting the bad guys."But, Mrs Morin adds, "The camaraderie is exactly like the military, the busy weeks, the quiet weeks, the jokes that nobody gets unless you've been there done that…It's just a really tight knit community." Mr Murphy says employers have become more aware of the skills that veterans bring."Once an employer picks up someone from the ex-Forces community, they will want to come back for another one."That's not to say some adjustments aren't necessary. Onboarding processes can vary between organizations, while a lack of standardization and job titles can be a contrast with the highly organized military key is pinpointing the sort of organisation they want to work in, Mr Murphy says."Where you get up in the morning and you're already looking forward to going to work, and you're working in a team where you feel you belong, where you feel you're having an impact."Although the nature of the "impact" might be different to what they're used to. As Mrs Morin says, working in the private world is different to directly tackling terrorism."I do miss being able to take down the bad guys and defend the world... I can't so much put folks in jail anymore."
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Protest held over closure of Sceilg Mhichíl to visitors
A protest has taken place in Co Kerry over the continued closure of Sceilg Mhichíl to visitors. The UNESCO World Heritage Site remains closed to visitors due to a legal dispute with the Office of Public Works (OPW) over the issuing of permits to boat operators. This evening, boatmen supported by over 150 local people gathered on the pier in Portmagee to express their anger at the continued closure of the monastic site. The protest was organised by the Skellig Coast Tourism Network which represents over 120 businesses on the Iveragh peninsula. A flotilla of boats also steamed to Sceilg Mhichíl and engaged in a further symbolic protest at the 6th century monastic outpost. Boat trips to land visitors at the UNESCO World Heritage Site were expected to commence two weeks ago, but legal proceedings have been taken by a number of boat operators in relation to the OPW permits. The OPW, which oversees the management of Sceilg Mhichíl, issues landing permits to 15 boat operators. Total visitor numbers on the rock is limited to 180 people each day, however difficult sea and weather conditions significantly reduces the number of days when it's possible to land. The process of issuing landing permits for Sceilg Mhichíl has been stalled due to a High Court challenge which is centred on a public competition which was held in awarding this season's permits. Following its most recent public competition for the 2025 permits, the OPW issued a list of 15 successful candidates. Three existing operators failed to secure permits. These boat operators have raised concerns in relation to the criteria and nature of the tendering process and have brought their cases before the High Court. Skellig Coast Tourism Network says businesses on the Iveragh peninsula are suffering due to the continued closure of the iconic rock. Chairman of the community organisation, James Murphy, is calling on the OPW to act immediately. He said: "The local economy is being really affected by the shutdown. We're seeing a load of cancellations. B and Bs, restaurants, shops, visitor experiences, pubs, they're all being affected. "This delay is devastating—not just financially, but emotionally, This is the time of year we should be welcoming visitors from around the world. Instead, we're losing them." Anne Healy who runs a B and B on Valentia Island said the situation on Sceilg is a cause of embarrassment for the people of south Kerry. She said: "I have people who travel from all over the world staying. They come to see the Sceilg. It's on their bucket list. I had people who stayed with me last week who had travelled from America and Canada to visit the Sceilg. They were not impressed and were very angry at this situation. "There isn't another world heritage site in the world that doesn't know the opening and closing date. Every year there is some reason for a delay and it's just not acceptable." A boatman who did not wish to be named said that individual boat operators are reluctant to speak out as they fear it may impact negatively on their prospects of securing a permit in the future. "All the boatman are standing together on this. We are united here. The three lads taking the case are fully entitled to take the case and we all support them. What the OPW are doing to us is nothing short of a disgrace. They must issue the licenses," said the boatman. Local Fianna Fáil councillor Norma Moriarty said that solutions to remedy the situation have "fallen on deaf ears". She said: "What's really frustrating is the three boatmen who've taken the judicial review have offered what I consider as fair an offer as you could possibly make. They have told the OPW they are willing to step aside for this season, allow the successful 15 applicants to operate, once there is a new competition at the end of it. That is as fair as you could possibly offer. Minister of State Michael Healy Rae told the gathering in Portmagee that he had raised the issue with Minister of State Kevin Boxer Moran and that he hoped this issue could be resolved as quickly as possible. In a statement, the OPW said it has lodged a motion with the High Court to issue licences for the 2025 season. It said: "The OPW is acutely aware of the key role the Island plays in the tourism economy of South Kerry and the wider region. In an attempt to resolve the situation, the OPW has been making urgent applications to the High Court requesting permission to lift the injunction in place (also known as a suspension). "If the injunction/suspension is lifted, this will enable the OPW to issue permits to the 15 applicants who were successful in the competition, on the terms advertised in the competition. No permit can be issued until the High Court gives permission to do so or unless the proceedings are settled." The OPW motion to lift the suspension is set to be heard in the High Court on 3 or 4 of June. Last year, a public competition for licences was also advertised. This was the first occasion the e-tender process had been used. However, that competition was cancelled by the OPW due to 'procedural error' and temporary permits for the 2024 season were issued to 15 existing boat operators.
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- Irish Times
Boat operators encircle Skellig Michael to highlight frustrations around island closure
A flotilla of boats has circled Skellig Michael to highlight the 'urgent threat to tourism' caused by the closure of the island. Skellig Michael, a Unesco World Heritage site, remains closed after legal action was initiated by three boat operators who were not awarded permits this year. The Office of Public Works (OPW), which manages the site, said it could not issue permits to any of the 15 operators awarded landing rights for the 2025 season because of legal constraints. The Skellig season runs between early May and late September, weather permitting. Visitor numbers are limited to 180 per day because of the fragile nature of the site. READ MORE Demand regularly exceeds the numbers permitted. Skellig Michael has gained in popularity since it featured in Star Wars movies. James Murphy is organiser and spokesperson for Skellig Coast Tourism, which represents 100 businesses in the region. He said €1 million has already been lost due to inactivity since the passing of the May 10th opening. 'This includes pay for boatmen, accommodation and cafes, and visitor experience,' he said. Mr Murphy said permits need to be issued by the OPW. The boat operators set off from Portmagee to Skellig Michael to circle the island, drawing attention to the escalating crisis, he said. His organisation has no views about who should get the permits. Last week, the OPW said it had lodged a motion before the High Court seeking permission to issue boat operator permits for Skellig Michael for summer 2025. Successful applicants were picked in a recent competition. This followed a High Court challenge from unsuccessful participants in the open competition to operate the boat licences. A date for the High Court to hear the OPW motion to lift the suspension has been assigned for the week of June 3rd. In December 2024, the OPW published a competition to award 15 permits for summer 2025 and onwards. The number of permits is limited in order to protect the fragile ecosystem of Skellig Michael, it said. In a statement, the OPW said it had 'contacted applicants in late March 2025 to tell them the outcome of their applications'. It added: 'Since then, three unsuccessful participants in the competition have brought High Court proceedings challenging the outcome of the competition. The OPW will be fully defending the proceedings.' Under Irish and EU law, the proceedings brought by three unsuccessful boat operators meant the OPW was prevented from issuing permits for summer 2025. This will remain the case until the proceedings are resolved or unless the High Court gives permission to issue permits, the OPW says. It continued: 'The OPW is acutely aware of the key role the island plays in the tourism economy of south Kerry and the wider region... No permit can be issued until the High Court gives permission to do so or unless the proceedings are settled.'
