Vietnam has rarely been associated with cybercrime activity in the same way other Asian nations, such as China, North Korea, and Iran, have in recent years. But that could change soon.
According to a new report from Intsights, cybercrime and cyber espionage activity in Vietnam is growing.
Vietnamese-language based Internet traffic and activity on the Deep and Dark Web is increasing, and so are attacks on foreign multinational organizations based in the country — particularly automotive companies and media outlets.
At least one previously known advanced persistent threat (APT) group — APT32/OceanLotus — appears to be working in support of the government's strategic interests. Over the past year or so, the threat group has ramped up attacks against Vietnamese and Cambodian media outlets viewed as hostile to the government. The threat actor has also been increasingly going after automobile manufacturers in advance of the planned launch of Vietnam's first domestically manufactured vehicles this September.
"This is an optimal time to be keeping a close eye on Vietnam, their economy, and their cyber operations — both state-sponsored and group," says Charity Wright, cyberthreat intelligence analyst at IntSights. Several factors are contributing to the increased threat activity, she says. One is the country's rapid economic growth.
Vietnam's one-party government has committed to aggressive economic growth and has been investing in domestic technology development. With the country seeking ways to gain an advantage over regional economic powerhouses like China, Japan, and South Korea, there has been an increase in cyber espionage activity targeting multinationals, IntSights said.
APT32's attacks on auto manufacturers serve as one example. Last year the group launched a worldwide malware and espi ..
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