New technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing are transforming all aspects of life but also presenting new security challenges to countries in the world, particularly in Viet Nam.

Viet Nam possesses great potential to become a power in cybersecurity.

In order to take advantage of the rapid development in digital technology, Viet Nam needs a national digital transformation strategy to build a digital economy and society.

Viet Nam is now facing a great deal of cybersecurity challenges. A significant number of attacks are targeted at critical national infrastructure, such as airports and the banking system, in sophisticated forms in order to steal information, causing enormous damage, both physical and digital, to organisations, enterprises and individuals.

Statistics on cybersecurity in Viet Nam from IEC show that there were 6,567 attacks on websites; more than 60% of network systems at government agencies and enterprises were infected with malware and ransomware; more than 15,700 software vulnerabilities were detected and over 1.6 million computers experienced data loss.

In addition, many falsely believe that if the devices they are using were attacked, the effect would be negligent because they contain no important data. But when hackers gain control of attacked computers, such computers could be utilised for further attacks and become a threat to the national network.

Many organisations and enterprises are willing to spend big on technology but spend very little on security solutions to protect data. Even those that already have security plans in place still experience a number of situations they cannot handle. Thereby attackers could bypass firewalls, take control of networked computers and expand the scope of attack and information collection.

Viet Nam possesses potential to become a power in cybersecurity. In order to achieve such goal, it is necessary to soon create a cybersecurity market, require all IT projects to include security components and develop security firms, products and human resources.

At the same time, it is necessary to monitor cyberspace closely and ensure network security for government agencies and national key infrastructure systems so that they can recover to the pre-attack state.

Some security officials have emphasised the necessity of an ASEAN cybersecurity information-sharing centre in Viet Nam to strengthen international cooperation in related issues.

Only when such measures are taken can the digital transformation in Viet Nam become sustainable and move forward on the right track, helping Viet Nam become a strong country in cybersecurity.

(Source: NDO)