Bkav Corporation announced today that cyber attacks, particularly ransomware, are expected to rise sharply in 2024 and early 2025, posing significant threats to businesses.
According to Bkav's data, ransomware attacks have impacted 155,640 computers in Vietnam, resulting in total losses in tens of billions of Vietnamese dong. These losses stem from data ransom payments, revenue lost due to system downtime, customer attrition, and brand damage.
A number of Vietnamese businesses have suffered heavy losses due to ransomware. One case lost more than VND100 billion (US$3.91 million) on the first day of the attack, while another business recorded losses of up to VND800 billion. Globally, cyber attacks caused losses of about US$9.5 trillion in 2024, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
Bkav reported an escalation in the sophistication of malware activities, characterized by clearly defined attack strategies. Ransomware, specifically, is increasingly targeting businesses for large-scale extortion, while Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) operate covertly, infiltrating organizational systems to exfiltrate sensitive data.
Head Nguyen Dinh Thuy of Malware Research at Bkav warned that every day, millions of new virus samples appear, causing terrible consequences. Worryingly, 60 percent of Vietnamese businesses do not have strong enough security solutions.
Numerous businesses either neglect to install anti-virus software or opt for foreign solutions that lack comprehensive expert support. Additionally, some organizations depend solely on the fundamental anti-virus functionalities provided by their operating systems, which are inadequate for combating the advanced threats today.
Bkav cited the CrowdStrike incident, where a software glitch led to the malfunction of 8.5 million computers, as evidence that even major enterprises require specialized security software, rather than relying solely on off-the-shelf tools.
Experts warn that APT spyware and ransomware are hiding in many systems in Vietnam and can attack at any time. Therefore, businesses need to raise awareness of cybersecurity and deploy professional security solutions to prevent the risk of being attacked.
