Ensuring information security and safety is a key task.

Members participating in the provincial-level cyber security drill held in October 2024.

Many safety risks

According to statistics from the Department of Information Security ( Ministry of Information and Communications ), in the first 10 months of 2024, nearly 6,000 cyber attacks were recorded, of which, information security and data security related incidents accounted for more than 70%.

Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Doan Ngoc Tu, Deputy Head of the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention (Provincial Police) said that in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, there have also been incidents related to information security. For example, at the end of 2023, the account connecting to the national population database of the province was locked due to a sudden increase in queries in a short period of time. Most recently, in April 2024, the administrative procedure settlement information system and the provincial document management software also had an incident where attached files could not be opened. Along with that, there have been times when a number of agencies and units in the province were infected with ransomware.

Although the above incidents were handled promptly and did not leave serious consequences, they still show that the risk of information security and data security in both state agencies and enterprises is very high, especially in the current digital transformation revolution. The causes are determined to be both objective and subjective. Specifically, the awareness of a number of officials, civil servants, and business owners is still limited, and the awareness of protecting personal data is not high. Resources for information security work have not met practical requirements.

Not only "defensive" but proactively responding

Mr. Le Viet Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Communications, said that ensuring information security is an important task, Ba Ria-Vung Tau focuses on implementing many solutions. The entire information system of agencies and organizations is maintained and the effectiveness of information security organization is improved according to the 4-layer model. Specifically, regarding on-site forces, the province is organizing and perfecting them in a professional and mobile direction through training and hiring experts. In professional supervision and protection, the province has completed expanding the scope of protection for the entire management information system.

“Currently, the Department of Information and Communications is submitting a proposal to hire the services of the provincial Network Security Monitoring Center (SOC), thereby regularly collecting information from 24 agencies, units, and localities in a professional and modern manner. For information security systems from level 3 and above, the SOC operating unit monitors and protects all layers such as: network, application, database, terminal equipment,” Mr. Trung added.

Cyber security drills are a solution that the Department of Information and Communications focuses on implementing. In 2024, a provincial-level drill was conducted with the target of attacking the Document Management and Administration Information System of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, thereby improving experience in handling incidents with operating systems.

Along with that, cybersecurity experts recommend that to ensure information security, organizations and individuals need to be aware that this is not only a legal responsibility, but also a key factor in protecting their own operations. Implementing information security regulations is not a choice, but a must. Thinking about cybersecurity also needs to change, from defense to proactive prevention, response, increasing resilience and ensuring continuity in operations even when attacked by cyber attacks. Along with that, it is necessary to prioritize funding for investment in facilities and technical means to meet the requirements for effectively serving the work of ensuring information security and safety in digital transformation.

Article and photos: QUANG VINH

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/chuyen-doi-so/202411/bao-dam-an-ninh-an-toan-thong-tin-la-nhiem-vu-then-chot-1027738/