The most influential security activities in Vietnam 2019
2020/01/03
Here are the cybersecurity highlights in 2019 as selected by the Vietnamese Network Security (VSEC).
1/ On May 9, the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) attracted the public’s attention when choosing 'Make in Vietnam' as the main message at a national forum discussing the development of technology companies.
This is the message for Vietnam’s technology sector, but it has a strong impact on cybersecurity firms and acts as the premise for new Vietnamese high-quality security products such as USEC - ultra-secure data storage device (developed by VSEC); Security Email Gateway Advanced – malware attack prevention solution via email system (Viettel); and EagleEye malBot – product that detects and prevent malware in real time (FPT).
"A serious incident in the finance and banking sector occurred in mid-November, causing panic among the public: 2 million bits of data of a large bank in Vietnam were exposed."
The security products are all created, designed and developed in Vietnam.
2/ The Prime Minister released Directive No 14 on ensuring cybersecurity to upgrade Vietnam’s ranking.
The directive requests appropriate agencies to spend at least 10 percent of total budget for IT application on cybersecurity products and services, and prioritize Vietnam-made products, solutions and services.
This is the first time the budgeting for cybersecurity is legalized. This shows the determination to promote the development of the IT security industry.
3/ A serious incident in the finance and banking sector occurred in mid-November, causing panic among the public: 2 million bits of data of a large bank in Vietnam were exposed.
On Raidforums, a forum of hackers, which specializes in selling stolen data, a data file believed to contain information of the clients of a bank in Vietnam was uploaded. The information includes customer codes, names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email, home address and workplaces of approximately 2 million Vietnamese.
This is not the first time personal information of Vietnamese individuals has leaked out. The incidents show that the data protection in Vietnam’s finance institutions and banks still do not receive appropriate attention.
4/ 2019 was the year which witnessed the strong development of the hackers’ forum in Vietnam. The hacker spirit has been supported and put into mainstream activities.
Participating in open competitions in the country, young Vietnamese hackers also were supported and encouraged to participate in international competitions, where they can show their skills of detecting vulnerabilities.
Many events for hackers were organized in 2019, including Hacker Street, organized for the second time at the Cybersecurity Day, the Hackathon 2019 organized by VSEC and Hacksmith, and the launch of Vietnam Bug Bounty, the largest Vietnamese platforms connecting white hat hackers.
5/ MIC has officially built an ecosystem to enhance the security and safety assurance for e-government, smart city and the national (important) information system.
