Personal data of some applicants to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme may have been affected by a recent cyber incident, the Housing Agency has said.
The suspected cyber breach occurred on the IT systems of Sligo-based Jennings O’Donovan, which is one of the engineering consultant companies that works with the Housing Agency.
The company uses technical reports and personal data of applicants to the grant scheme for contact purposes.
The Housing Agency has said that none of its own systems were involved.
However, it is not yet known how many applicants may be affected.
“The incident appears to be isolated to one engineering company,” said a statement from the Housing Agency today, Wednesday.
“Some files stored on the engineer’s system may have been impacted. While no applicants’ financial or banking information has been impacted, the information that may have been impacted includes applicants’ names, contact details, addresses, dwelling technical reports (including dwelling photos) and local authority DCB application reference numbers.”
The Housing Agency said it has taken several steps following notification of the cyber incident. It is working with Jennings O’Donovan to gather information. It is working with its IT team and external cyber security experts to ensure its own systems remain secure.
The Agency, working with its Data Protection Officer, has notified the Data Protection Commission and relevant Joint Data Controllers, including local authorities.
Other DCB stakeholders have been advised to stay alert for other cyber incidents.
Only applicants impacted by the incident are being contacted by the Agency.
“If applicants have not been contacted, they are not impacted by this cyber incident,” the agency said.
Councillor Joy Beard of the 100% Redress Party said: “This cyber incident is deeply concerning for affected families already under immense pressure. I’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and ensure all homeowners’ data protection rights are upheld.”
Cllr Beard is advising homeowners to be vigilant for and keep records of any suspicious emails, calls, or texts claiming to be from the Housing Agency or local authorities.
Any person who receives anything suspicious is urged to report it immediately to: dbsinfo@housingagency.ie
Breaking: DCB homeowners’ data may be affected by cyber incident was last modified: October 22nd, 2025 by Staff Writer