Vietnamese businesses apply AI to detect cybersecurity threats

Fortinet has just released the results of IDC's 2025 survey, which shows that organizations across the Asia- Pacific region are adopting AI as the first line of defense in their cybersecurity strategies.

According to the survey, AI has gone beyond the hype to become a key enabler of speed, accuracy, and scalability in security operations, and is shaping the hiring priorities, investment strategies, and structure of modern cybersecurity teams.

AI is transforming both sides of the cybersecurity battle. For defense forces, it opens up the ability to automate detection, speed up response, and scale threat intelligence at unprecedented speed.

52% of organizations in Vietnam said they faced AI-powered cybersecurity threats in the past year.

However, these same capabilities are also being exploited by hackers to launch more sophisticated, faster, and more adaptive attacks. According to IDC research, 52% of organizations in Vietnam said they faced AI-powered cybersecurity threats in the past year. Of those, 54% reported a doubling in attack volume and 36% reported a tripling. These attacks are harder to detect and often exploit gaps in monitoring, governance, and internal processes.

AI is no longer a future consideration but an operational reality. More than 8 in 10 organizations in Vietnam are now using AI in their security environments. Organizations are rapidly moving from AI-based detection to more advanced applications such as response automation, predictive threat modeling, AI-powered incident response, AI-powered threat intelligence, and behavioral analytics. These top five use cases show that detection has become the baseline standard, while response, prediction, and orchestration are the next steps.

GenAI is also gaining acceptance, mainly in “light” tasks such as running playbooks, updating rules and policies, detecting social engineering attacks, writing detection rules, and assisting with investigations. However, trust in AI technology for automated actions is still limited. Use cases such as automated remediation or assisting with security incidents have not been widely deployed, indicating that we are still in the phase of using multiple approaches simultaneously in the AI application journey.

The shift to an AI-first cybersecurity model is also changing the way teams are built. In Vietnam, the five most in-demand cybersecurity positions include: security data scientist , threat intelligence analyst, AI security engineer, AI security researcher, and AI-specific incident response specialist.

Organizations are not just deploying AI tools, they are building entire cybersecurity teams around AI capabilities. This reflects a broader trend where the workforce is rapidly adapting to keep up with the pace of technology adoption.

According to the survey, cybersecurity budgets are on the rise, with nearly 90% of organizations reporting increases. However, the majority of these changes are modest, with 60% reporting increases of less than 5%, and 30% reporting increases of 5–10%. This suggests that while budgets are expanding, spending is still largely focused on covering rising operating and staffing costs. Organizations appear to be cautious about allocating these limited increases.

The top five investment areas in the next 12–18 months include: identity security, network security, SASE/Zero Trust, cybersecurity resilience, and cloud application protection. This reflects a strategic shift from infrastructure-heavy spending to more focused, risk-driven priorities aligned with evolving threats.

Mr. Nguyen Gia Duc, Director of Fortinet Vietnam emphasized: “In Vietnam, CISOs are entering a phase of consolidating and modernizing their cybersecurity plans with AI not only playing a defensive role, but also influencing the way organizations build teams, allocate budgets and prioritize threat management. Fortinet helps customers embrace this shift by integrating AI across the entire platform, enabling faster detection, smarter response and more sustainable operations in the increasingly complex and distributed cyber risk landscape. As complexity increases, the need for converged, intelligent and adaptive security models becomes more urgent."

Thu Trang

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/chuyen-doi-so/doanh-nghiep-viet-ung-dung-ai-phat-hien-de-doa-an-ninh-mang/20251004101220146