Vietnam ranks 12th in the world for cyberattack activity.

Research by security firm Symantec shows that Vietnam currently ranks 12th in the world for cyberattacks, a jump of 9 places compared to the same period last year. The reason for this unexpected "upgrade" is the rapid development of the internet in Vietnam, but users lack awareness of the lurking risks and threats, leading to hackers taking over computers or even entire systems.

Specifically, Vietnam ranks 6th in the world for the number of malware distributed, rising from 10th last year to 7th in spam distribution, and jumping 25 places to 14th in the number of botnets (a term referring to networks of "zombie" computers that have been taken over by hackers and mobilized for attack campaigns such as denial-of-service attacks...). Notably, Vietnam has become the 6th country in the world for the number of cyberattacks (instead of 23rd place a year ago).

The "Internet Security Threat Report 2014," recently published by Symantec, also revealed that the three sectors most frequently attacked in Vietnam are the financial sector, focusing on banks and credit institutions; specialized service sectors such as auditing and accounting; and the manufacturing sector. Among these, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 250 employees are the primary targets of these attacks.

Spam continues to be a major problem in Vietnam, accounting for 61.8% of total email traffic. The sectors most affected by spam and phishing emails are finance, with an average of one scam email per 1000 emails sent. This is followed by manufacturing, transportation/utilities, and mining/oil.

"For cybercriminals, corporate payroll deadlines are a prime target for attacks. Therefore, users need to be extremely vigilant and should set strong passwords for online transactions," recommended Raymond Goh, Regional Director of Symantec.

A series of new risks

The "Internet Security Threat Report 2014" also paints a rather alarming global picture of security, with a host of new and increasingly prevalent threats. The number of zero-day vulnerabilities discovered in 2013 was confirmed to be the highest ever, enabling cybercriminals to carry out new types of attacks that are far more sophisticated and dangerous than before.

Instead of carrying out quick attacks and reaping small profits, they demonstrate a willingness to plot for months, waiting for the most vulnerable moments of a business to launch large-scale attacks. A prime example of this type of attack is the mega-data breach, where an estimated 552 million user identities were compromised by hackers in 2013 alone.

Another significant threat in the near future is ransomware. Ransomware has skyrocketed in number recently (up 500% in 2013 compared to 2012) due to the high profits it generates for attackers. The next evolutionary stage of this attack will be ransomware, which encrypts users' important files and demands a ransom if they want to open them.

Finally, scams on social media remain very common. Up to 12% of social media users reported having their accounts hacked. Perpetrators impersonate these users, chatting with their friends to ask for phone top-ups, money transfers, debt repayments, and so on.

Previously, Microsoft's Cybersecurity Report No. 16 also revealed that the three highest phishing threats in Vietnam in Q4 2013 were Rotbrow, Wysot, and Obfuscator. Criminals trick victims by downloading malicious files attached to legitimate content such as software, music, and video files that victims find online. These downloaded files were identified as the top threat in 95% of the 110 countries and regions where Microsoft examined data.

To combat the growing threat of cyberattacks, security experts recommend that customers take several self-protective actions, including: Using the latest version of software as soon as possible and always installing updates; Only downloading data files from trusted sources; Running antivirus software and always backing up files.

According to Vietnam.net