The figure was disclosed by Nguyen Duc Chung, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Center, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Cybersecurity Real-World Drills program on December 17.

The event was co-organized by the Digital Transformation Center and the Southern Branch of the Vietnam Information Security Association (VNISA).

Chung emphasized that in the digital age, cybersecurity is not only a challenge but also a foundation for sustainable development.

In the first nine months of 2024, the city’s Data Center recorded the following: 768,325 policy violations, 56,811,589 information-gathering attacks, 7,057 malware infection and propagation attacks

Regarding endpoint security across government agencies and units in the city, the centralized anti-malware management system recorded 63,137 attack prevention events, including: 315 password harvesting attacks, 62,822 security vulnerability exploitation attempts.

Additionally, the system detected and blocked 209,312 instances of malware, with the most common types being: Virus.Win32.Sality.l (111,723 cases), HEUR:Virus.Win32.Slugin.gen (19,466 cases), HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Generic (4,050 cases)

According to Chung, the primary goal of the drills is to enhance the skills and capacity of teams in responding to cybersecurity incidents.

The program also aims to strengthen collaboration and problem-solving skills among participants, helping to identify and address weaknesses in systems spanning technology, processes, and personnel—key factors that determine the security level of any information system.

The 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Cybersecurity Real-World Drills program consists of two main components:

1.     Real-world simulation on a live system: The drills will involve the "Ho Chi Minh City Digital Citizen" application, a critical platform connecting residents with local government authorities.

Red Team: Comprising cybersecurity experts from organizations such as the 286 Center (Command 86), Ho Chi Minh City National University’s Cybersecurity Center, Viettel Cybersecurity, VNPT, HPT Technology Services, GalaxyOne, and DTG Technology.

Blue Team: Includes IT administrators and technical staff from the city’s Digital Transformation Center, the municipal Cybersecurity Incident Response Team, and IT security teams from system service providers.
 
2.     Enhanced training and exercises: The program combines theoretical and practical training through simulated scenarios in the Cyber Range training ground, targeting IT staff from various departments, state enterprises, hospitals, and media agencies.

The training includes three scenarios:

Scenario 1: Defending against ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure.
Scenario 2: Combating supply chain attacks.
Scenario 3: Identifying and preventing phishing and non-technical attacks.

Cybersecurity incidents in Ho Chi Minh City have reached alarming levels, necessitating robust response mechanisms.

The drills focus on real-world applications and enhancing collaborative and technical capabilities.

Strengthening systems, processes, and personnel are top priorities to safeguard critical digital infrastructure.
 

Le My