VietNamNet Bridge – IT forums on the Internet estimate that more than 1,500 Vietnamese websites have been hacked in the last few days.

Yesterday hackers began attacking the DNS server -- used to support the domain name system -- to redirect them to other addresses and even get possession of domains.

The day before they broke into the Foreign Ministry translation center’s website at http://www.ntc.mofa.gov.vn, and posted a Chinese flag on the home page.

They also changed the contents on the left column of the site.

On many other websites too they left a Chinese flag.

By yesterday afternoon, June 9, many sites, including the www.ntc.mofa.gov.vn and www.gdt.gov.vn, had been retrieved but have been shut down for repairs.

Vo Do Thang, director of the Athena Network Security Center, said the hackers attacked Vietnamese websites systematically and intentionally.

The attack on the DNS server could have severe consequences since tens of thousands of websites with different internet service providers may simultaneously lose their domain names or be redirected to other addresses, he said.

All ISPs such as FPT, PA, and VDC should be on high alert against such attacks, he added.

Nguyen Tu Quang, general director of the Bach Khoa Internetwork Security Center (BKIS), said when there were hacking attempts, network administrators should disconnect their servers to prevent their servers from becoming a tool for the hackers to attack other websites.

Administrators should rapidly save the log file elsewhere to prevent hackers from deleting it to eliminate traces of their destruction, Quang said.

The log file, which records everything that goes in and out of a particular server, should be sent to internetwork security centers to help plug loopholes in network security and track down the hackers, he said.

VietNamNet/Tuoi Tre