HSE wasn't sought out for special treatment, it just happened to be a suitable target There is wishful thinking that everything will be all right and nothing too serious will happen to a small country like Ireland. From Storm Ophelia to Covid-19 and now the cyberattack, this thinking is wrong HSE chief executive Paul Reid. The HSE has risen to the challenge of Covid-19; it will rise to the challenge of the cyberattack also. File picture: Leon Farrell Tue, 18 May, 2021 - 18:37 Simon Woodworth The cyberattack on the HSE has proven to be an unwelcome wake-up call for the entire country. But it should come as no surprise: The HSE has been warned before, most notably, as reported in this paper, by Bruce Schneier at the Web Summit in December 2020.