Vietnam recorded 6,219 cyber attacks since the start of 2019, a year-on-year surge of 104 percent, said the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT).

Vietnam recorded 6,219 cyber attacks since the start of 2019,
a year-on-year surge of 104 percent (Illustrative photo: Reuters)

Of the number, there were 2,155 phishing, 3,824 deface and 240 malware attacks.

In addition, the number of computers infected with malicious viruses (botnet) per day was close to 100,000 in the period. 

According to the Authority of Information Security under the Ministry of Information and Communications, cyber security and safety in Vietnam has been improved over the past time thanks to campaigns on malware removal and training courses on cyber attack combat launched in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. 

A report released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in late 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. 

The ministry said malware–related attacks on Government computers doubled in during the period, and experts called for more attention to malware prevention and control on Government computers in the time ahead.