The ASEAN Computer Emergency Response Team Drill (ACID 2021) has been deployed for members of the emergency response network and information technology units nationwide. 

Hosted by Singapore, the ACID 2021 saw the attendance of teams from ASEAN member nations and five dialogue countries, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea.

An overview of the 2021 ASEAN Computer Emergency Response Team Drill. Photo: Minh Son

Participants in the exercise included key technical staff, who take part in international and domestic deployments, from the Authority of Information Security, Viettel, VNPT, BKAV, Sacombank, and support staff group (technicians of VNCERT/CC Center) as well as members of the national network information security incident response network.

This is an opportunity for technical staff of Vietnamese agencies, organizations, and enterprises to practice their skills in troubleshooting, investigating, analyzing, minimizing damage, and reporting emergency situations to improve knowledge and gain experience in response to cybersecurity incidents.

The ACID 2021 drill used the latest cybersecurity trends as scenarios for teams to strengthen their preparedness in solving cybersecurity issues.

After the drill, experts and domestic team members spent time debating situations and solutions to help participants have a better understanding of how to handle the incidents in a specific case.

"We recorded 3,241 cyber phishing attacks, 579 website defacement and 2,115 malware attacks, an increase of 57.03% over the third quarter of last year and 97.14% compared to the second quarter of this year," Tran Quang Hung, director of the National Cyber Security Center under the Authority of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) told The Hanoi Times.

"In the first nine months of this year, the total number of cyberattacks causing issues on information systems in Vietnam was 6,156, increasing 30.15% over the same period of last year," Hung added.