Of nearly 1 million cyber-attacks on critical IT systems handled annually by the Network Information Security Center of the Government Cipher Committee, attacks that exploited vulnerability accounted for more than 87%.

Speaking at the recent Security World 2021 seminar and exhibition, Colonel Tran Duc Su, Director of the Center for Information Technology and Cyber ​​Security Monitoring of the Government Cipher Committee said that, according to McAfee, losses caused by cyber-attacks and cybercrime caused in 2020 were huge, about $1 trillion, up 50% compared to 2018.

Colonel Tran Duc Su, Director of the Center for Information Technology and Cyber ​​Security Monitoring of the Government Cipher Committee.

According to Su, the Covid-19 pandemic was believed to be the cause of an increase in cyber-attacks. "As digital transformation platforms grow stronger and people operate more in virtual space, the increase of cyber-attacks is understandable," he said.

Mr. Tran Quang Hung, Director of the Center for National Cyber Security Surveillance (NCSC) under the Department of Information Security, Ministry of Information and Communications, said that in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic’s impacts caused a significant increase in the risks of network insecurity.

According to Hung's analysis, the increase in online activities such as online learning, working online, and e-commerce created many challenges in cyber safety and security for Vietnam in particular and the world in general.

In 2020, the number of malicious codes and malicious websites rose dramatically compared to previous years, reflected in reports by NCSC, as well as reports of many international security organizations and firms.

In addition, the time the world focused on dealing with Covid-19 was also an opportunity for many groups of hackers around the world to operate actively. The number of security vulnerabilities discovered and exploited in 2020 increased dramatically, including a series of vulnerabilities belonging to popular products, software and applications.

Different groups of hackers took advantage of these vulnerabilities to conduct a series of cyberattacks, especially in the form of targeted attacks (APT), in which many agencies and organizations in Vietnam were victims.

The Network Information Security Center of the Government Cipher Committee, through monitoring activities and ensuring information security for 23 key IT network systems of the Party, State agencies and e-government systems in Vietnam, last year recorded, warned about and coordinated handling of about 1 million cyber-attacks. Of these attacks, the form of attacks using vulnerabilities accounted for 87.19%, unauthorized access (8.37%), malicious code attack (2.94%), and denial-of-service attack (DoS attacks) (0.05%).

What solution will ensure safety in the digital age?

Regarding solutions to ensure information security in the digital age, representatives of the Network Information Security Center of the Government Cipher Committee recommended that agencies, organizations and enterprises, especially critical IT systems, improve capacity while strengthening coordination with specialized information security forces.

MT