Vietnam prioritizes cybersecurity for digital platforms

Vietnam's priority is ensuring cybersecurity for national digital platforms to protect national cyberspace, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung said at Vietnam Security Summit 2022 held in Hanoi on June 23.

The summit themed “Cybersecurity for national digital platforms: Creating a sustainable digital future” was organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) and IEC Group with the participation of around 800 delegates in charge of cyber and information technology security.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung speaks at the event. Photo: Le Hoang

Deputy Minister Nguyen Huy Dung said that the event’s topic shows the urgency of the issue as the National Digital Transformation Program, Digital Government Development Strategy, and Digital Socio-economy Development Strategy have identified that Vietnam's national digital platform is a breakthrough solution to accelerate the digital transformation process.

“Therefore, ensuring cybersecurity for digital platforms must be considered a top priority associated with the development and use of national digital platforms,” Dung said.

He added that ensuring cybersecurity is like building a house on a stable foundation. Digital platforms should be able to withstand attacks with increasing frequency and more sophisticated techniques.

Platform developers should prioritize appropriate spending of funds (a minimum of around 20-30%) for cybersecurity features, Dung stressed.

He noted that his ministry has been promoting and using 35 national digital platforms. The ministry wants businesses to support the program by providing digital platforms m with the spirit of moving towards a sustainable digital future.

Delegates to Vietnam Security Summit 2022. Photo: Le Hoang

At the conference, the platform “Handling incidents of national cybersecurity” was officially launched, which is expected to make a great contribution to ensuring national cybersecurity, be a prestigious address for cybersecurity experts, agencies and organizations to turn to when encountering security breaches.

Vietnam is among the top 10 nations most exposed to cyberattacks and malware, ranking seventh in terms of countries with the most cybercrime victims.

Vietnam recorded nearly 5,500 instances of cyber attacks in the first five months of 2022, including malware attacks, phishing attempts and website defacement (changing visual appearance of a website).

Colonel Do Minh Kim, deputy head of Office 3 of the Cybersecurity and Hi-tech Crime Prevention Department under the Ministry of Public Security, said that there have been many Advanced Persistent Threats conducted against crucial information systems of the State and businesses.

Cyber attacks mainly make use of security holes in routers, security software, online meeting applications, and public service portals. They have caused a tremendous amount of damage to businesses’ cybersecurity and operations, he said.

“Implementing national security strategies, and developing more cybersecurity products and services for locals, businesses and organizations are the crucial tasks of the moment. Ensuring cybersecurity is among Vietnam’s top priorities to facilitate digital transformation,” Colonel Do Minh Kim stressed.

In the framework of the event, an international expo has given solutions for cyber safety and security technology with the most advanced version. The expo saw the participation of more than 30 leading security solution providers in the region and the world.