Vietnam hosts cyber security drill

One hundred computer emergency response teams from across Vietnam are taking part in the largest-scale ever cyber security drill, which opened in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City on December 18.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung
Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung

The drill updates public technicians on the solutions to prevent and counter advanced persistent threats (APT), while equipping them with the skills and knowledge to prepare for real-life attacks to important national information infrastructure.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Nguyen Thanh Hung, expressed his hope that the participating teams would continue joining hands to build a safe and trustful cyberspace.

According to Nguyen Khac Lich, deputy head of the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT), stimulation drills in recent years have shown limitations concerning dangerous and complex APT attacks.

At this year’s event, VNCERT, for the first time, has launched a new model where participants can practice both defence and attack skills in selected working data. They are not allowed to destroy or shutdown the data, or cause information leaks.

Co-organised by the Authority of Information Security and the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT), the programme runs until December 21.

According to the VNCERT, Vietnam has so far this year recorded nearly 400 million cyber-security-related events. There were 9,344 cyber-attacks, including 2,499 phishing, 5,018 deface and 1,764 malware attacks.

Statistics show that more than 27 percent of the attacks targeted government institutions, followed by those hitting banking and financial institutions and telecommunication firms with a large customer database.