Vietnam postal services crippled by ransomware attack

Ransomware attacks on the information technology system of the Vietnam Post Corporation (Vietnam Post) early Tuesday morning directly affected postal and delivery services, the company said.

However, financial postal, public administration and goods distribution have remained unaffected thus far, it added.

It said response measures were activated as soon as the attacks were detected, in line with guidance from the Authority of Information Security (AIS) under the Ministry of Information and Communications. These included disconnecting the IT system to isolate the breach and safeguard data.

Consequently, websites with the vnpost.vn domain and associated applications are likely to experience temporary disruptions during the recovery process.

“The corporation is collaborating with relevant authorities and leading Vietnamese IT conglomerates to address the problem as early as possible to minimize impact on customers,” Vietnam Post said.

Earlier, the Software Alliance (BSA), a global software industry trade association, called on Vietnamese businesses to use copyrighted software to minimize cyberattacks.

Recently, domestic cyberattacks have tended to target important industries such as energy, oil and banking, disrupting business operations and leaking confidential information, it said.

Adam Coates, general counsel of BSA, underscored that using unlicensed software seriously affects data security, exposing businesses to high risks of cyberattacks, data breaches and malware infections.

Such risks not only cause financial damage but also affect the trust and confidence of clients, partners and stakeholders, and can possibly damage the entire economy, he said.

“It is alarming that the use of unlicensed software continues to be commonplace in Vietnam,” Coates said, emphasizing that the problem should be addressed with vigorous law enforcement and public awareness campaigns.

Cyber monitoring and surveillance by the AIS revealed a significant rise in cyberattacks in late March, particularly those involving ransomware.

In the first quarter of 2024, information systems in Vietnam were hit by 2,323 cyberattacks. Ransomware targeted organizations every 11 seconds, it found

There were more than 150 million security risk alerts and approximately 13,000 ransomware-related incidents were detected across various information systems, including those of major Vietnamese enterprises like VNDirect Securities Corporation and Petrovietnam Oil Corporation (PVOIL).