article: No firms in Northern Ireland have so far been affected by the ransomware attack, which wreaked havoc on organisations including the National Health Service in England and Scotland. The virus could have spread even further had a cyber security researcher not accidently discovered a "kill switch" in the malicious program. He was assisted by a researcher from security firm Proofpoint, which has an office in Belfast. There is no shortage of cyber security experts in Northern Ireland - the industry now employs about 1,200 people. And there is such a demand for their expertise, they can earn twice the average salary in Northern Ireland. Invest NI - the region's business development agency - says Northern Ireland is the number one location in the world for cyber security inward investment and the number one global destination for US cyber security companies with an eye for international expansion. Invest NI said companies had been enticed by the "hard-to-find" skillsets being nurtured at Queen's and Ulster University. "Companies such as Black Duck, Rapid 7, Proofpoint, Alert Logic and Whitehat are recent investors here," said a spokeswoman. "And with Symantec, a security software vendor, predicting the number of job openings to rise to 6m globally by 2019, there are real opportunities for our talented workforce." Emily McDaid writes about all things tech and edits the Techwatch blog for Catalyst Inc Connect, a not-for-profit network that runs a number of programmes to help innovation companies get off the ground or grow. Northern Ireland has a booming tech sector, she said, particularly in the fields of cyber security, data analytics, fintech (software for the financial sector) and blockchain - the technology underpinning the digital currency Bitcoin. "London is no longer the go-to place," she said. "Northern Ireland is a cheaper place to live and do business. And if the corporation tax was to be lowered, that would be massive for the sector." Cyber security has become big business for corporate firms and start-ups in Northern Ireland, she said, and they are in the unique position of working in both the Irish and UK markets. She has written about a start-up in Belfast, one of only two companies in the world, which uses a person's heartbeat as a way of identification, as opposed to fingerprints or retinal scan. Then there are the two female cryptography experts looking at how to keep data safe when quantum computing becomes a reality - quantum computers will be so clever they will be able to break security algorithms easily, and hack data in seconds. In addition to working with at least 500 entrepreneurs each year, Mrs McDaid's organisation inspires young people to pursue careers in tech and innovation. "Cyber security is so big at the moment, it has an 0% unemployment rate," added Mrs McDaid. "The more NI becomes a recognised centre of innovation, the more you will get the talent coming up through the generations." Last week, two international conferences were held in Belfast on the issue of cyber security - it is a burgeoning industry because with every technological advance comes
summary: Cyber security has hit the headlines after an unprecedented cyber-attack brought down computer systems around the world on Friday.