In 2017, Vietnamese users lost 12.3 trillion VND due to computer viruses.

This level of damage is significantly higher than in previous years, partly due to the spread of ransomware, cryptocurrency mining malware, and other threats.

According to statistics from Bkav, in 2017,Computer viruses caused Vietnamese users to lose 12,300 billion VND, equivalent to 540 million USD, exceeding last year's figure of 10,400 billion VND.

This year, ransomware has become a major concern, particularly in the form of malicious code.WannaCry spread to over 150 countries in May.In Vietnam, over 1,900 computers were infected with WannaCry, and more than 52% of them had vulnerabilities that could be exploited by this malware. This was followed by the emergence of the Petya and Bad Rabbit variants, which paralyzed numerous banks, airports, ATMs, and many large businesses and organizations worldwide.

The enormous ransom demands are the reason behind the explosion of ransomware.Statistics from Bkav's virus monitoring system show that 11.22% of emails circulated in 2017 were intended for ransomware distribution.

Illustration photo: CNN

2017 also saw a cryptocurrency craze, prompting hackers to carry out a variety of attacks aimed at turning users' computers into cryptocurrency mining tools. Most recently,A cryptocurrency mining malware disguised as a .zip file has been spreading on Facebook since December 19th, and it is estimated that more than 23,000 computers in Vietnam have been infected.

Internet-connected devices (IoT) such as Wi-Fi routers and IP cameras have also become targets for hackers. One of the reasons is that...Manufacturers often leave default administrator passwords and do not recommend that customers change the device settings before use. Meanwhile, users generally have little habit of paying attention to device security and do not change default passwords. A study by Bkav shows that up to 76% of IP cameras in Vietnam still use the username and password pre-set by the manufacturer.

2018 is predicted to continue to witness an explosion of malware attacks aimed at illicit gain, such as ransomware and cryptocurrency mining malware… Meanwhile,Facebook remains fertile ground for scams and the spread of fake news.

According to VNE