Malware infiltrates top Vietnamese agencies

• Vietnam Airlines under cyber-attack since 2014: security group
• Hackers attack Vietnamese cyber security company
• Vietnam urges tough action against cyber attacks

Recent analysis has found that the malware used to attack flagship carrier Vietnam Airlines has also targeted government ministries and enterprises.

On July 29, computer systems at Vietnam’s two biggest airports were targeted by alleged Chinese hackers, resulting in client information being leaked and forcing check-in staff to perform their tasks manually.

BKAV, Vietnam’s leading cyber security center, said the malware hackers used to attack the airports has been detected in many other computers, and penetrated them undetected under the guise of anti-virus software.

The center added that the malware sends data from Vietnamese websites to its control server, allowing hackers to change images and information on the screen.

Ngo Tuan Anh, deputy head of BKAV, said: “We’ve been monitoring this spyware since mid-2012 and found that it has infiltrated computers at government agencies, corporations, banks, research institutes and universities. We have warned them about this problem many times.”

Previously, the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Teams also detected an ‘extremely dangerous’ malware hidden in some Vietnamese websites. However, the malware was in "hibernation", awaiting orders to attack.

Data from BKAV revealed that 40 percent of Vietnamese websites have security leaks, and about 300 websites are attacked each month.

Vietnam is also listed among the most vulnerable countries when it comes to cyber security because around 66 percent of its websites are estimated to be infected with viruses or malware.

Related news:

> Vietnam Airlines under cyber-attack since 2014: security group

> Hackers attack Vietnamese cyber security company

> Vietnam urges tough action against cyber attacks