As of Monday afternoon, no serious attack by the WannaCry ransomware programme had been reported in Viet Nam, despite earlier warnings, according to the Viet Nam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT).

Computer systems of the Vietnamese government and other administrative bodies remain free from the virus, a spokeperson from VNCERT said on Monday.

On the portal of the Ministry of Information and Communications, a detailed guide has been made available to help businesses and individuals safeguard their computers from the so-called ransomware.

Wannacry, also known as WannaCrypt or WanaCrypt0r 2.0, is a ransomware computer virus that targets the Microsoft Windows operating system.

A global ransomware attack using the virus was launched last Friday, targeting a huge number of computer systems across the globe and encrypting data stored on the computers in order to demand money.

Earlier reports by Bkav, a leading Vietnamese cyber security firm, revealed that up to 52% of computers in Viet Nam were susceptible to the EternalBlue vulnerability found in Windows operating systems, exploited by WannaCry to encrypt users’ data.

The company has rolled out a free tool for users in Viet Nam to scan their computers for the ransomware and detect its vulnerability.

“WannaCry attacks are continuing at an increasingly sophisticated level in European countries, but such large-scale cyber security breaches have not yet been reported in Viet Nam,” said Vu Hong Son, a senior anti-malware specialist at Bkav. “It could be the case that Viet Nam is not among the initial targets of the attackers.”

However, Son warned that with 52% of computers in Vietnam vulnerable to the ransomware, users are advised to take necessary measures to safeguard their computers from the possibility of future attacks.

(Source: Tuoitrenews)