Allegations on Vietnamese government-backed hackers targeting foreign government agencies and companies are “baseless claims”, Deputy Spokesperson of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ngo Toan Thang stated at a press conference on April 23.

“Vietnam bans all cyber attacks targeting individuals and organizations in any form, and any activities that cause cyber threats should be condemned and strictly punished by law,” the official said.

Hanoi said accusations on Vietnam-backed cyber attacks are groundless

Vietnam’s National Assembly approved the Law on Cyber Security in 2018, and has been refining the legal framework for its enforcement. Vietnam is willing to cooperate with the international community to combat all forms of cyber attacks, Thang said.

Hanoi made the statement after California-based cybersecurity company Fireeye was quoted by Reuters as saying that suspected Vietnamese actors APT32 from January to April 2020 carried out intrusion campaigns against Chinese targets which were believed to be designed to collect intelligence on the Covid-19 crisis.

According to Fireeye, suspected Vietnamese actors APT32 or OceanLotus Group targets foreign companies investing in Vietnam’s manufacturing, consumer products, consulting, and hospitality sectors.

The Covid-19 crisis poses an intense, existential concern to governments, and the current air of distrust is amplifying uncertainties, encouraging intelligence collection on a scale that rivals armed conflict, Fireeye said on its website on April 22, adding that until this crisis ends, we anticipate related cyber espionage will continue to intensify globally.