State firms urged to confront cyber-attacks

State firms urged to confront cyber-attacks

Organisations and enterprises need to take proactive steps to protect their information from security risks as the number of cyber-attacks is on the rise, according to the Viet Nam Information Security Association.

Increased investment and more human resources for information security is needed, said Trinh Ngoc Minh, deputy head of the association's southern branch.

Many enterprises have decreased their investment and training budget for information security due to the economic downturn, Minh said at the sixth Viet Nam Information Security Day that opened yesterday in HCM City.

The event attracted more than 500 officials of State agencies, experts and enterprises in information security.

State-of-the-art information-security technologies, solutions and applications were discussed during the event.

A survey conducted by the association in October showed that half of polled enterprises had set aside no more than 5 per cent of their total budget for data security.

Sixty-two per cent of organisations had no qualified officials in information security, according to the survey which polled nearly 300 enterprises in the southern region.

More than half of the enterprises had no office or department of information security.

Nearly 70 per cent of respondents said they were not ready for outsourcing information security.

The event was organised by the HCM City Department of Information and Communications and the southern branch of the Viet Nam Information Security Association.

A similar event will be held in Ha Noi on November 21.

Cost of cybercrime

While the number of online adults who have experienced cyber-crime has fallen from 46 per cent in 2012 to 41 per cent in 2013, the average cost per victim has risen by 50 per cent from US$197 in 2012 to $298 in 2013, according to global findings from 2013 Norton Report.

As consumers become more mobile and connected, these conveniences often come at a cost to them and their security, showed the report, released by Symantec Corporation, a leading global corporation in security, backup and availability solutions.

The report is one of the world's largest consumer cyber-crime studies, based on self-reported experiences of more than 13,000 adults across 24 countries.

With 49 per cent of consumers around the world using their personal mobile device for both work and play, this creates entirely new security risks for enterprises as cyber-criminals have the potential to access even more valuable information.

Despite the fact that 63 per cent of those surveyed own smartphones and 30 per cent own tablets, nearly one in two did not take basic precautions such as using passwords, having security software or backing up files on their mobile devices.

The report also found that many consumers are engaging in risky behavior that puts their private information at risk.

Thirty-four per cent of consumers surveyed admitted that the convenience of being constantly connected outweighed any potential security risks.

Sixty-two per cent said there was no such thing as "online privacy" in today's world and 61 per cent assumed that "everything they put online will or can be seen by anyone and everyone".

"With the borderless nature of the internet, cyber-crime threats are not confined to any specific country and Viet Nam is not immune to it," said Philip Routley, Symantec's product marketing manager for consumer and small business.

Today's cyber-criminals are using more sophisticated attacks such as ransomware and spear-phishing, which yield more money per attack than ever before, said Routley.

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