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The move came following an increase of cyber attacks in Viet Nam, especially ransomware in which cybercriminals seize and encrypt data, then ask for ransom payment.
Givent the situation, the Government chief tasked ministers, ministerial-level and local leaders to be in charge of ensuring network safety; direct the review and evaluation of the safety of information systems entrusted to them and report the outcomes to the Ministry of Information and Communications before April 30, 2024.
They have to ensure that least 10 percent of total funding for each IT application project/plan will be allocated to safeguard network security and safety of this kind of project/plan.
Enterprises in Viet Nam encountered 17.1 million offline cyber-attack threats in 2023, the most in the Southeast Asian region, according to statistics by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
Cyber-attacks on large corporations in Viet Nam are sounding alarm bells about domestic cybersecurity systems, requiring prompt actions to defend against malicious attacks. During the past two weeks, three companies reported suffering from cyber attacks which had serious consequences.
On March 24, securities company VNDirect's entire system suffered a ransomware attack, resulting in the temporary unavailability of the trading platform. Not until a week later could the system be reopened.
The Post and Telecommunication Joint Stock Insurance Corporation (PTI) also reported a cyber attack on its system nearly at the same time as the attack on VNDirect's system.
Most recently, PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PVOIL) reported a ransomware attack on April 2 which caused disruptions to its information system, including the issuance of electric invoices. The company's system underwent troubleshooting and returned to normal operation on April 4./.
