Proud of remarkable achievements
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received the news that VCS had won the Pwn2Own championship for the second consecutive year on November 1, 2024, while he was on a working trip in the Middle East. He sent a letter of congratulations to the team. “On behalf of the Government, I commend, recognize, and highly appreciate the efforts, determination, and progress made by the engineers and cybersecurity experts at Viettel Group. This victory highlights the remarkable advancements in technical expertise, skills, and deep specialization, as well as the extensive practical experience of the team in a challenging and emerging field. It is also a source of pride and joy for the entire national cybersecurity community,” the Prime Minister wrote.
During the subsequent meeting and award ceremony, Major General Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and CEO of Viettel Group, emphasized that the championship was not just a point of pride for the VCS team but for the entire company. He stressed that VCS should not approach competitions merely for fun or personal passion but as a responsibility to the group and the Viettel brand. Major General Thang also mentioned that in the coming years, the team should have a clear strategy, focusing on specific categories and competitions, and carefully evaluating the scale and significance of each contest.
Pwn2Own is where research teams compete to discover zero-day vulnerabilities (previously unknown security flaws) in popular devices such as cars, phones, cameras, smart speakers, office servers, and more. For each vulnerability discovered, teams are awarded cash prizes ranging from $20,000 to $50,000, along with "Master of Pwn" points from the organizer, the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI).
Pwn2Own 2024, held in Ireland, featured a record-breaking prize pool, with the total awards surpassing $1 million for the first time since the competition began in 2007. The VCS team claimed the championship on October 27, 2024, after successfully exploiting nine vulnerabilities, earning $205,000 in prize money and 33 points—almost double the points of the second-place team, Team Cluck from the US.
Rounding out the top 5 were research teams from Europe, Canada, and the US. In 2023, the VCS team also won the championship, securing 30 points and a $180,000 prize. Previously, in 2022, the VCS team finished in second place.
A journey of recognition and triumph
This victory is not just a personal achievement for Viettel’s cybersecurity engineers, but also a testament to the capabilities and intelligence of the Vietnamese people on the global cybersecurity stage. It represents the early result of Viettel’s long-term investment and strategic focus on cybersecurity training and research. Viettel has built a research environment where young engineers are provided with a solid foundation and the opportunity to grow while tackling the complex challenges of cybersecurity.
According to Mr. Nguyen Son Hai, Director of VCS, when Viettel Group's Information Security Division (the predecessor of VCS) was first established, it had only six members. Today, the VCS team has grown to more than 500 people. Upon hiring, VCS trains its employees through real-world tasks, with simulated operations or pressure situations that replicate actual conditions.
The leadership at VCS encourages the "friendly fire" strategy, meaning employees are tasked with attacking Viettel’s internal systems. This approach serves not only as a way to enhance their skills but also to identify vulnerabilities, improve products, and strengthen defenses against external threats.
"Thus, the VCS team’s success in an international cybersecurity competition like Pwn2Own is not a matter of luck, but the result of the extensive hands-on training and practical experience they’ve gained throughout their work," Mr. Nguyen Son Hai affirmed.
Engineer Ha Anh Hoang, 28, joined VCS in 2019 and has participated in the Pwn2Own competition for three consecutive years, starting in 2022. According to Hoang, the victories in 2023 and 2024 are the result of a long journey, as some VCS members have competed in the event five times, including years when they did not win any prizes.
"This victory shows that the Vietnamese have the talent and intellect to compete on the global stage, gaining recognition from the international cybersecurity community. It’s not just an internal matter within the country," Ha Anh Hoang confidently stated.
Mr. Mai Xuan Cuong, Director of VCS's Information Security Services Center, emphasized that winning Pwn2Own and achieving these accolades highlights VCS’s reputation and affirms its expertise in research and service provision.
"VCS’s goal is to provide globally expert-level cybersecurity services, with professional quality that doesn’t position us as merely an outsourcing provider. Vietnamese people are fully capable of delivering the highest quality cybersecurity services, not only domestically but also for global clients," affirmed Mr. Mai Xuan Cuong.
In 2024, VCS successfully detected and prevented nearly 2,000 cyberattacks, some of which were highly complex. The average detection time was under one hour, significantly faster than the global average of ten days. In January 2025, VCS identified over 150 potential cybersecurity threats that could pose risks if not proactively addressed. Currently, VCS serves over 200 domestic clients (including government ministries and agencies) and clients from 16 countries.
