Vietnamese internet users are the 10th most at risk of cyber attacks globally, according to a recent report by the Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based international cyber security company and anti-virus provider.
In its Information Technology Threat Evolution report for Q3, 2016, Kaspersky Lab showed statistical records on the forms of cyber threats that the company has detected worldwide from data provided by its users, including malware, spamming, phishing, ransomware and mobile threats.
The company said it had recorded over 5 million internet-borne malware incidents in Vietnam from July to September.
Its report said 23.7 percent of users in the country were attacked by web-borne threats during the three-month period.
Regarding viruses, the report showed that 52.07 percent of internet users in Vietnam may have been attacked by malicious programs during the third quarter, placing the country second most vulnerable worldwide.
Kaspersky said it gathered the data by detecting the number of malicious programs on users’ computers and removeable devices, such as flash drives, cameras, memory cards and external hard drives.
For Mac users, Kaspersky said that the latest operating system is no longer safe against cyber attacks. In 2015, the company recorded up to 6 million attacks on Mac computers and collected more than 24,000 samples of malicious code targeting the Apple's operating system.
The company advises people to constantly check for malware or malicious programs on their computers, change their passwords regularly and avoid strange internet links.
Nearly 49 million people, more than half of Vietnam’s population, are online. The country's cyber networks have been a target for online criminal attacks in recent years.
Related news:
> Hackers attack Vietnamese cyber security company
> Cyber fraud unearths potential loophole at Vietnamese bank's security system