There were 288 cyber attacks targeting Vietnamese websites in February, up 1.8% compared to the previous month, according to a report of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC).

There were 288 cyber attacks targeting Vietnamese websites in February,
up 1.8 percent compared to the previous month (Photo: buzz-caribbean.com) 

In the month, malware was on the rise as a larger number of internet users looked for information about the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Authority of Information Security under the MIC asked all agencies to revise their host computers to promptly detect those which have been under attacks, as well as enhance monitoring and frequently update warnings of authorities and cyber security companies.

A report released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in March 2019 shows that Vietnam was ranked 50th out of 175 positions of 194 countries and territories worldwide in the global cyber security index, up from the 100th position in 2017.

The country ranked 11th among 38 countries and territories in Asia-Pacific, and fifth out of 11 countries in Southeast Asia in this regard, after Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.