Vietnam cybersecurity in 2007: Virus increases record, hot market

The operation of cybercrime this year is no longer a noisy affair like the previous year when cyber criminals turned underground with the goal of making money.

More than 5,400 new viruses, 340 were attacked by hackers

According to statistics of Bach Khoa Network Security Center (BKIS), the number of computer viruses appearing in Vietnam in 2007 increased rapidly each month. Specifically, in February this year, BKIS discovered 197 new viruses, until November last number of new viruses increased to 1.589, ie every day there are about 53 new viruses. Since the beginning of the year, BKIS has counted nearly 5,400 new viruses infecting Vietnamese users' computers.

Ominously, the return of the virus destroys data after years of absence. In July of this year, BKIS counted about 55 computers, mostly from infected financial institutions that destroyed data. In addition, this year's online game is also the domain that hackers focus on exploiting. In August, BKIS said it had detected nearly 300 trojans stealing passwords of online gamers. This year, USB memory cards have become the most popular means of spreading viruses.

Although there are no big website attacks, the number of websites attacked is still not small. Preliminary statistics of BKIS since the beginning of the year has about 340 domestic websites attacked by hackers, of which about half are victims of domestic hackers. According to Mr. Nguyen Tu Quang, Director of BKIS, the main reason is that the websites have not been given adequate attention to security and safety. Even the websites of financial institutions and securities companies have up to 54% of serious vulnerabilities that can be exploited to take control at any time, according to a BKIS survey. in March 2007.

This year's cybercrime has dramatically reduced the attention-grabbing attacks, but the underground vandalism of domestic hackers is still active. Mr. Do Ngoc Duy Trac, Head of the Operations Department of Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Center (VNCERT) said: ' Although no case has been uncovered, this year VNCERT has received many warnings from international organizations for cross-country botnet (cyber-hijacking) networks, stealing credit accounts from Vietnamese hackers '.

The market starts 'hot'

This year's security market marks the full presence of giants in the security field with a deeper market penetration.

This year, many well-known security products and solutions have landed in Vietnam. At the end of March 2007, the supplier of security solutions and speed up the application of Blue Coat (USA) has officially entered Vietnam's security market by announcing MTech as a distributor of products in Vietnam. . Last October, the leading American security company Barracuda Networks officially set foot in the Vietnamese market with the designation of Dong Quan company as a distributor. Recently, on December 3, German security company WG SystemHaus chose Alliant as a market development partner in Vietnam.

Security names already present in Vietnam this year also began to pay more attention. Symantec has been in Vietnam for several years, but has recently begun to appreciate the Vietnamese market by organizing two programs to introduce large-scale products and solutions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for the first time. HCM. Even Mr. Mark Bregman, Symantec's Vice President, affirmed that Vietnam is one of the 10 fast-paced markets of Symantec worldwide. It is expected that Symantec's business speed in Vietnam will increase by 100% next year.

Considering Vietnam as a potential market, McAfee Security Group has chosen Vietnam as the first point in the program to introduce new security products in Asia in late November. Businesses like IBM, HP and Juniper have recently been promoting products and solutions with the desire to have market share in the hot market.

In 2007, many Vietnamese organizations and businesses aimed to apply information security management system according to international standards. According to ISO TUV Nord security certification and certification company, currently about 30 Vietnamese companies are preparing to implement ISO 2700 security certificates. In the software field, FCG Vietnam and Public Software Company FPT Information System is the two pioneering companies to apply and achieve secure ISO certification. Perhaps it is no coincidence that ISO TUV Nord recently invited Professor Ted Humphreys, the "father" of the 2700 security ISO standard to Vietnam to talk about this security standard.

Domestic security enterprises such as BKIS, Network Security Center Athens or Misoft are also actively preparing to provide consulting services for implementing ISO security standards. Mr. Nguyen Tu Quang said that at the end of this year, BKIS will achieve ISO 2700 certification, a step for the center to provide consulting services with this standard application for organizations and businesses.

Do Duy