This is the result given from the Cybersecurity Assessment program for individual users conducted by Bkav Group in December 2021.
Positive signals about changing users’ awareness of network security, in order to adapt safely on the internet; the number of computers infected with malicious code reached more than 70 million; The explosion of cryptocurrencies, followed by a sharp increase in ransomware are the main features of Vietnam’s overall cybersecurity picture in 2021.
70 million times of computers infected with viruses
70.7 million times of computers infected with viruses in 2021, a red alarm for the cybersecurity situation in Vietnam. In recent years, Vietnam has always been one of the countries with the highest rate of malware infection and cyberattacks in the world. Not only that, the level of use of computers and smart devices in Vietnam has increased dramatically due to the influence of Covid-19, which is an ideal environment for the virus to break out and spread rapidly.
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Vietnam is one of the countries with a high rate of malware infection |
According to Bkav experts, users still have the habit of using non-copyrighted software, which is not updated regularly, leading to a computer that is not protected continuously, this needs to be changed immediately. “Only about 10% of computers in use in Vietnam are equipped with anti-virus software capable of automatically updating and with support from the manufacturer. A number too small to build a “herd immunity”. Each infected computer is another source of virus infection,” said Vu Ngoc Son, Bkav’s Vice President in charge of Anti-Malware.
Bkav recommends that users should immediately equip anti-virus software capable of automatically updating their computers. These will be the necessary “vaccines” to protect your computer and the entire community.
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The proliferation of data encryption ransomware
2021 is a tumultuous year for cryptocurrencies (coins) and businesses related to digital currencies, the capitalization of digital currencies has surpassed the threshold of 1 trillion USD. This leads to a sharp increase in the number of data encryption attacks that demand ransom in coins.
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Ransomware is an attack trend of hackers in recent times |
A series of attacks took place, the scale of which amounted to millions of dollars. Typically, the attack on oil pipeline supplier Colonial Pipeline, paralyzed the entire East Coast of the United States. The victim had to pay a ransom of nearly 5 million USD in digital currency. In May, the US branch of JBS Holdings (Brazil), the world’s largest meat supplier by sales, was attacked and forced to pay a coin of up to 11 million USD.
In Vietnam, the number of computers attacked by data encryption viruses in 2021 will reach more than 2.5 million, 4.5 times higher than 2020. Most Vietnamese users are still confused. do not know how to respond when the computer is encrypted data.
In 2022, malicious attacks will still increase if users do not act early and decisively. The issue of ensuring security on IoT devices needs to be paid due attention when deploying on a large scale. Supply chain attacks continue to be a trend and will be an ideal target for hackers in the coming year.
It is estimated that by 2025, there will be about 75 billion IoT (Internet of Things) devices globally. Increasingly, the network of connections between IoT devices is becoming more and more widespread with a large number of different users, making security problems on these devices complicated. Each IoT device can become an attacked link or a way for hackers to infiltrate the systems of individuals and organizations.
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