[ISN] Vietnam faces loose network security, data protection

[InfoSec News <alerts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/19/content_7821316.htm

Editor: Gao Ying
www.chinaview.cn  
2008-03-19

HANOI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Delegates to the international conference 
and showcase entitled Security World 2008 which started here Wednesday 
said organizations and individuals in Vietnam have yet to invest enough 
in or to have full awareness about network security and data protection.
    
"The risk of data and network security breaches is at an alarming rate. 
According to reports of BKIS (a leading local network security center in 
Vietnam) and VNCERT (Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team under the 
country's Ministry of Information and Communications, in 2007, some 25 
percent of major Vietnamese websites are vulnerable to hackers' attacks, 
and 95 percent of personal computers were infected with viruses," Dang 
Van Hieu, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Public Security, said at the 
two-day event.
    
Nguyen Viet The, an official from the Public Security Ministry's General 
Department of Technology, said: "Last year, we surveyed and detected 
security holes in 140 websites of important agencies and enterprises in 
Vietnam. More seriously, some websites with domain "gov.vn" were 
attached malicious codes by foreign hackers. If this situation continue, 
it is possible that national security and social order will be 
affected."
    
According to BKIS surveys, last year, 342 Vietnamese websites were 
attacked by hackers, of which 224 websites were hacked by foreigners. 
Meanwhile, over 33.6 million computers were infected with viruses, 
causing estimated losses of 2.4 trillion Vietnamese dong (150 million 
U.S. dollars).
    
Some 40 percent of Vietnamese stock brokerage websites are still 
vulnerable to attacks from hackers, despite efforts to improve network 
security, according to a recent BKIS survey.
    
"In March 2007, we warned of errors in 12 out of 22 stock brokerage 
websites which could be used by hackers to take control of or manipulate 
data and transactions. In late 2007, we still found errors in 40 percent 
of a total of 60 securities websites," said BKIS director Nguyen Tu 
Quang.
    
Nguyen Viet The said key reasons for the loose network security and data 
protection in Vietnam include limited spending on information 
technology, especially security issues of local organizations, shortage 
of legal documents on handling cyber-crimes, and poor awareness of 
Internet users about security threats.
    
Elaine Lee, market analyst of International Data Corporation, stated at 
the conference: "Many organizations often don't know which technologies 
to buy, so they buy too much or not enough, but don't usually get what 
they need." They need integrated solutions for anti-virus, anti-spam, 
anti-spy ware, outbound filtering and email encryption to cut cost and 
save time, she said.
    
During the two-day event themed "Strengthening Security Awareness and 
Deployment" and held by the General Department of Technology and the 
International Data Group, 30 speakers from Vietnamese ministries and 
organizations, and such foreign firms as Cisco Systems and Symantec are 
to touch current status and trends of, and solutions to network and data 
security in the Asia-Pacific region in general and Vietnam in 
particular.
    
Over 500 delegates and nearly 2,000 visitors are attending Security 
World 2008, the organizers estimated.


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