3 major Vietnamese press agencies have just been cyber-attacked and had their data stolen.

Once they have penetrated the system, hackers can steal data, change the content of articles or delete news articles, and post bad or toxic content on the newspaper. Illustration photo.

Major Tran Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the National Cyber ​​Security Center of A05 ( Ministry of Public Security ), said that in April 2025, A05 discovered that three major Vietnamese press agencies were attacked by cyberattacks. Hackers attacked the data systems and stole documents from these press agencies.

“When they attack the system, hackers can steal data, change the content of articles or delete news articles, post bad and toxic content on the newspaper... If hackers do this, it will cause very serious consequences,” said Major Tran Trung Hieu.

Once they have attacked the system, hackers can steal data, change the content of articles or delete news articles, and post bad and toxic content on the newspaper. A05 representatives also recommend that press agencies should pay attention to the issue of protecting network security against hacker attacks.

Major Tran Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of National Cyber ​​Security Center A05 (Ministry of Public Security).

Sharing about the risk of information security in press activities, Mr. Nguyen Van Han, Deputy Head of Business Department of VNPT 's Information Security Center, said that due to the nature of the job, he has to come into contact with many computers, memory cards, network systems, data storage systems, etc., so there are many potential risks to information security.

Meanwhile, software supporting video , photo, and AI operations is often not fully equipped. Reporters use free or cracked versions on personal devices, which can easily infect computers and smartphones with malware, leading to a high risk of being taken over.

Mr. Nguyen Van Han said that some newspapers are using the same platform provided by some technology companies, so they often have the same security holes. Therefore, when attacked by hackers, it can spread to many newspapers. According to data collected by VNPT in Vietnam, the number of new vulnerabilities discovered in 2024 increased by 64%. From these vulnerabilities, hackers can easily attack newspaper pages and information portals.

Some other worrying figures are that the number of fake domain names increased by 1.6 times, the number of cyber attacks increased by 60%, the number of exposed accounts increased by 26%... According to data from VNPT, the estimated global damage caused by cybercrime in 2024 is 9.4 trillion USD , in 2025 is 10.5 trillion USD . Press agencies contain important sources of information for each country.

If these agencies are attacked, the damage is not only economic, but also causes loss of reputation, or spreads false information causing serious damage to the economy, politics and affecting national security.

Cybersecurity experts say that the vast majority of media outlets operate online, using electronic formats. Many media outlets with important information resources, including key national media outlets, can be targets of cyber attacks.

The purpose of hackers' targeted attacks on news organizations is to steal data, install ransomware, attack the supply chain (third-party partners of news organizations), push disinformation and conduct targeted phishing.

To ensure information security, press agencies need to train journalists and even editorial board leaders on information security awareness.

If in the past hackers targeted celebrities, politicians, and large companies, now journalists and press agencies are the new targets of cybercriminals. The consequences of being attacked on press agencies are huge.

Press agencies, reporters and editors have a great responsibility and mission in protecting their organizations from the risk of cyber attacks, while raising social awareness of information security.

Source: https://znews.vn/3-co-quan-bao-chi-lon-viet-nam-vua-bi-tan-cong-mang-danh-cap-du-lieu-post1555185.html