The Great Ransomware Attack Outbreak: What’s the Move for Vietnamese Manufacturers?

Viettel Cyber Security Hosts a Seminar on Ransomware Response Strategies for the Manufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry in Vietnam, with its growing trend of attracting international investment, has become a prime target for ransomware attacks. In response to this threat, Viettel Cyber Security (VCS) organized a seminar on ransomware response strategies specifically for the manufacturing sector, which was held on June 12 at the Thang Long Industrial Park and attracted over 30 businesses.

Manufacturing Enterprises – Prime Targets for Ransomware Attacks

“We continue to monitor and report to our boss that the company is not under attack. As a result, we are always asked why we need to increase investment in information security,” said a representative from a company, reflecting a common concern among many organizations in Vietnam.

According to Mr. Bui Trung Thanh, a Solution Consulting Expert at VCS, it is essential to recognize the significant increase in cyber attacks and the growing complexity of attack methods. Statistics from VCS’s Threat Intelligence system in the first quarter of 2024 showed a 70% increase in data encryption attack campaigns compared to the same period last year. Globally, many large and powerful manufacturing companies have also fallen victim to ransomware, incurring losses of hundreds of millions of dollars.

These facts indicate that anyone can fall victim to ransomware, especially now that this form of attack has evolved into a readily deployable and executable business model (RaaS). The nature of this attack is that hackers often implant malware in the enterprise system for a long time, up to 200 days, to identify vulnerabilities and critical data. Many businesses are infiltrated without their knowledge and miss the opportunity to intervene early. “They only realize it when their data is fully encrypted. By then, it’s too late, and the consequences are far greater than the money spent on cybersecurity,” said Mr. Thanh.

In the manufacturing field, enterprises become prime targets for hackers due to their willingness to pay. According to VCS experts, in addition to the shortage of highly skilled cybersecurity personnel to respond to complex attacks, risks to manufacturing enterprises also arise from the IoT trend, which creates more entry points for hackers. Many companies still use outdated IT systems, while smart production lines and complex supply chains with multiple third-party partners worldwide make it even more challenging to ensure cybersecurity standards.

Manufacturing Enterprises Need a Cybersecurity Partner

According to Ms. Bui Thi Hoa, Manager of the Viettel Cyber Security Maturity Program (CSMP) at VCS, the partnership with a specialized cybersecurity unit is a necessary piece for manufacturing enterprises.

The CSMP is a special program that provides participating partners with comprehensive cybersecurity support, including governance measurement and consulting on maturity levels, system penetration testing, incident response – ready to stand side by side with the enterprise when facing cybersecurity risks, practical business training, and up-to-date intelligence information to detect potential threats early on. The program aims to provide comprehensive protection for businesses and organizations against cybersecurity threats, address the shortage of cybersecurity personnel, and optimize long-term investment costs.

Drawing on over a decade of practical combat experience in cybersecurity and supporting more than 100 domestic and international customers, VCS will transform its knowledge, lessons learned, and valuable experience into a dedicated training program for CSMP partners. “These experiences and lessons were previously only used for internal VCS training to improve service quality for customers. This is the only program we have implemented to share our cybersecurity knowledge externally to directly enhance our partners’ cybersecurity capabilities,” said Ms. Hoa.

“When dealing with hacker groups, enterprises can now rely on the support of VCS’s entire team of 600 personnel, including those with international-caliber capabilities,” emphasized Ms. Hoa. By joining the CSMP, manufacturing enterprises can not only take advantage of the human resources and knowledge but also benefit from the guaranteed service quality and cost-effectiveness as VCS’s products and services are 100% researched and developed according to the domestic market context and characteristics, competitively priced compared to international vendors.

At the event, one of the most attractive areas was the one-on-one consulting and assessment of cybersecurity health for businesses. Through this, enterprises received a preliminary assessment of their cybersecurity health, specific recommendations for each weakness, and appropriate investment orientations. This also demonstrated VCS’s commitment to partnering with manufacturing enterprises.