Many international technology corporations are offering to review businesses' network security after Vietnam Airlines was hacked recently.

Spending on IT systems should be considered a long-term investment.

CMC Telecom, a distributor for many multinational technology corporations like IBM, Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle, EMC, Diebold, VmWare, will soon help companies review security gaps in their information technology administration and suggest ways to protect themselves from network attacks.

"We will provide professional information about network security for businesses and comprehensive methods to protect their database, applications and information technology infrastructure," Dang Tung Son, deputy director of CMC Telecom, told dau tu (Viet Nam Investment Review) newspaper.

He revealed that free software on the internet not from prestigious companies often contain viruses and malware, and is the best place for hackers to enter businesses' systems.

A recent survey found that businesses using such software lose 73 per cent of their database and recover less than half, he claimed.

Besides, the possibility of affected companies spreading the viruses to their partners and customers is big, he said.

"Using software without copyright quickly spreads viruses and malware to the community."

Vu Minh Tri, general director of Microsoft Viet Nam, said businesses should improve their awareness of copyright-protected software.

"Only by using copyright-protected software can business' database and information get the best protection against viruses and malware."

Security experts said spending on IT systems should be considered a long-term investment that can increase businesses' technological strength and raise their prestige and partners and customers' trust in them.

Many Vietnamese businesses, like many others in the world, cannot build a comprehensive IT protection system by themselves because of limited technology and lack of skilled human resources.

"It is time for the Vietnamese business community to think about how to properly invest in IT systems," Tri said.

"The most important task right now is ensuring safety for IT systems, improving protection before more sophisticated network attacks occur."

According to a recent report by Russia's Kaspersky Lab, Viet Nam ranks third in the world in terms of threats when accessing the internet, with 35 per cent of users having been attacked.

According to statistics from the Viet Nam Computer Emergency Response Teams, Viet Nam suffered 31,500 network attacks last year. 

VNS