The Enactment of Law on Internet Security in Vietnam in a Context of Cyber-Attacks Growth

The National Assembly deputies approved the Law on Internet information security during their plenary session in Hanoi, Vietnam on November 19th. The law defines the information security on three levels: cyber information violations, cyber information conflicts, and cyber warfare. It also includes regulations on preventing and fighting online terrorism. The law – which will enter into force on July 1st, 2016 – has been enacted at a time when the country is at high risk of cyberattacks and already being impacted by hackers. In the first nine months of this year, 18,085 Vietnamese websites, including 88 state-run platforms, were infected with malware and 23.605 computer viruses have been identified according to the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT).

In order to fight against this threat, Vietnam recently joined 13 other countries for information safety drills at the 2015 ASEAN Computer Emergency Response Team Incident Drills (ACID). The drills are annual events organized by information security agencies, especially computer emergency response teams from many countries. The VNCERT was in charge of regulating the drills which took place in three cities, Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

A paper written by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on the topic of the Internet and national development was published on November 19th to mark the 18 years since the first time Vietnam connected to the Internet. The Prime Minister, in his paper, reaffirmed the country’s target to pursue an Internet penetration rate of 80 per cent to 90 per cent and to expand its network to cover isolated areas. These progresses involve an effective legislation on Internet security as well as personal data protection. [Source: VIETNAMNEWS; VOVWORLD]