Vietnam haunted by hidden threats from Chinese hi-tech devices
Vietnam haunted by hidden threats from Chinese hi-tech devices
Recent news reports from local media have suggested that Vietnam is facing insidious threats from Chinese-made hi-tech devices and hackers alike.
In mid-August, a young man from the northern province of Son La was nabbed by Hanoi police after he stole a number of valuable DSLR cameras and lenses by hacking the wireless garage door opener of a store in the Vietnamese capital city.
Nguyen Thanh Duong broke into the Digiworld Hanoi store on Hang Bai Street and fled with assets worth more than VND643 million (US$30,265), according to officers.
The 25-year-old thief confessed to police that he had contacted a Chinese national via the Internet and asked for help stealing the password of the remote controlled door of the camera store on July 22.
The two met on July 27, when Duong paid the Chinese man for the device used to hack the door, which he did the following night.
Hanoi police said this was the first case in which a wireless garage door opener was hacked.
Dr. Vo Trung Dung, who teaches electricity and electronics at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, said most garage door openers on sale in Vietnam are made from Chinese spare parts.
Security experts last month also advised that Vietnamese smartphone users be aware of Chinese-made handsets after a Beijing-based phone maker admitted recently it was collecting personal data without permission.
Xiaomi Inc’s Redmi Note smartphones have a built-in function that covertly collects personal data and transfers it to the phone maker’s server in China, Vietnamese computer security firm Bkav has told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
Most recently, Chinese hackers victimized as many 745 Vietnam websites in only a week, from August 28 to September 4, according to a Friday report by Internet security website SecurityDaily.
Collapse electricity system
Ngo Duc Hoang, general secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Semiconductor Industry Association, said it is not uncommon for hi-tech products made in China to secretly include malicious features.
“But the most worrisome thing is that Vietnam is using a lot of equipment manufactured by its northern neighbor,” the chip-making expert told Tuoi Tre in a recent interview.
Hoang said Chinese microchips could have a backdoor covertly added to their system, which would allow for surreptitious unauthorized access to data stored on the networks on which they are installed.
He added that it is very simple for chipmakers to add a backdoor or other secret functions into the chips to serve dishonest purposes.
“Most seriously, the chipmakers can program the chips to stop working at a specific time, which would cause a ‘collapse’ of the entire system they are installed on, be it the power, telecom, or banking system of a country,” he said.
The pundit said Vietnam faces a high risk of attack, as they do not know whether the Chinese chips used in the national systems are ‘clean’ or not.
“The root issue could only be solved if we replace all the chips,” he said.
Dr. Hoang Dinh Chien, an associate professor at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, said it is normal for Chinese-made hi-tech products and equipment to have a backdoor installed.
“Backdoors allow the chipmakers to remotely access the users’ systems, and may do harm to them,” he said.
Dr. Chien advised that local companies use experts to assess and evaluate the Chinese chips before purchasing them.
“Do not just choose Chinese chips because they are cheap,” he said.
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