The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is seeking computer software to provide additional protection against cyber attacks.

The department is currently inviting tenders to provide "a ransomware containment solution".

The one-year contract, valued at €450,000, excluding VAT, has an option for two possible extensions of up to one year each.

DAFM

According to the tender documents, DAFM has nearly 5,000 people, including staff, contractors, suppliers and vendors, located in offices throughout the country.

The department also has a presence in a multitude of Irish food business operators.

"The department is committed to embracing opportunities for remote and blended working, which can increase flexibility, improve health and wellbeing, and improve work-life balance.

"To this end all solutions must facilitate remote and blended working without any reduction in security, visibility and performance," the documents said.

The department currently has "a range of applications, appropriately configured to protect its infrastructure against a range of threats".

"The requirement of the department is to expand upon our existing infrastructure to cover all users and endpoints to add an additional layer of protection against ransomware attacks throughout the department," the documents added.

A ransomware attack is a type of cyberattack where malicious software encrypts a victim's files, making them inaccessible.

The attackers then demand a ransom to restore access to the data. In some instances, attackers also threaten to leak stolen data if the ransom is not paid.

Software

The department said that it wants to procure a ransomware containment solution under a one-year agreement, paid annually in advance.

The product requirements include BullWall Ransomcare, BullWall Ransomcare Server Intrusion Protection (SIP) and BullWall Pro Services Remote.

DAFM said it is "committed to maintaining and improving the resilience and security of our ICT systems to protect our data and services".

Any successful tenderer will have to comply with the public sector cyber security baseline standards or an equivalent industry recognised cyber security standard.

The deadline for the submission of tenders is 1:00p.m on November 28.

The department said that the one-year term will start no later than January 5, 2026.