This story was shared by Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Do Thi from the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, Ministry of Public Security, at an event on November 17.

Thi said many new technological trends offer benefits but also pose great risks for individuals and organizations. AI, satellite Internet, quantum computing, digital ecosystem networks, and deepfakes are developing quickly and are being exploited by hackers for various illegal acts.

Among these, cybercrime is causing enormous damage, surpassing even other types such as terrorism and drugs. In 2024, over 600,000 cyberattacks targeted Vietnam. Globally, every minute, 2.9 million people become victims of cybercrime, with countless scenarios and sophisticated tricks, often based on current daily issues.

A prominent trick is using deepfake technology to impersonate state agencies and procuracies to appropriate citizens' assets. This type of scam "is still happening daily despite extensive propaganda, causing huge damages, not just a few billion VND but some people have lost hundreds of billions of VND.”

“In September 2025, when a case occurred, the police came to the scene to persuade the victim, but the victim did not listen to the real police and instead transferred money to the fake police," Lieutenant Colonel Thi said.

Other types of attacks include creating fake websites for fraud, hacking corporate emails, editing sensitive images for blackmail, mobilizing multi-level financial investments, and violating privacy.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Do Thi, the more dependent one is on technology, the easier it is to be compromised. For example, in Da Nang, a homeowner was blackmailed for over VND100 million using sensitive video clips by the person hired to install security cameras.

These are cases that show how technology loopholes are being exploited to harm users.

Facing these challenges, Lieutenant Colonel Thi emphasized that enhancing cybersecurity self-reliance capacity is an urgent requirement. 

Worldwide, 138 countries and territories have developed strategies and enacted Cybersecurity Laws, establishing and strengthening cybersecurity and information security forces. 

Recently, Vietnam successfully hosted the signing ceremony of the Hanoi Convention, with 72 countries signatories. Domestically, the draft Cybersecurity Law is being developed by merging the 2018 Cybersecurity Law and the 2015 Cyberinformation Safety Law into a unified legal framework.

Sharing the views of the Party and State on the development of information technology, the Internet, and cyber security, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Do Thi emphasized the principle of "protection for development” by both issuing a legal framework and creating conditions for development. He noted that no single ministry, sector or agency can completely protect itself, and that mobilizing the strength of the entire political system and society is necessary.

Thai Khang