The move came after the insurance agency received a call from the Authority of Information Security under the Ministry of Information and Communications through official dispatch No 1298/CATTT-NCSC on the implementation of the campaign to clean up malicious code in cyberspace in 2022.

The insurance agency told the branches to give to all civil servants and employees detailed information about the campaign and tools to support handling malicious code at: https://khonggianmang.vn/chiendichmadoc2022.

The civil servants and employees are ordered to not use cracked software without copyright.

The infographic describes the methods of ghost computer networks

They have to update the National Cyber Security Centre's Botnet IP list on the insurance agency's centrally-managed security device to prevent connections with malicious code.

They are also required to actively monitor connections to malicious IP addresses and domains identified by the authority of information security through security devices of the insurance agency to promptly prevent and handle computers and devices connected to malicious servers; check the installation of information security solutions equipped by the insurance agency; and scan all computers and devices with the insurance agency's anti-malware software.

The insurance agency recommends its civil servants and employees use the malicious-code handling tool that the authority of information security provided at the above-mentioned address to remove and handle the malicious code for their personal computers.

Through this campaign, the insurance agency aims to clean its computers, thereby enhancing the protection of the information system, and contributing to ensuring information security for national cyberspace.

According to the national cyber security centre, Viet Nam's network-connected devices have been in botnets for a long time.

The infographic reveals the threat of infection with dangerous malware when people use cracked and unlicensed software

Botnets are networks of hijacked computer devices used to carry out various scams and cyberattacks. The term “botnet” is formed from the words “robot” and “network.” The assembly of a botnet is usually the infiltration stage of a multi-layer scheme. The bots serve as a tool to automate mass attacks, such as data theft, server crashing, and malware distribution. Botnets are built to grow, automate, and speed up a hacker’s ability to carry out larger attacks.

Recently, many cyber-attacks originating from Vietnamese websites, servers and IP addresses are found to participate in the control infrastructure of ghost computer networks and spreading malicious code, the centre said.

It not only harms the reputation and image of Viet Nam in cyberspace but also affects national digital transformation, the centre said.

Each computer and device infected with malicious code is a source continuing to infect other computers with viruses and malicious code, the centre said.

The majority of IP addresses located in botnets today not only belong to networks and devices in households but also in businesses, the centre said.

The campaign to clean up malicious code in cyberspace this year

Ghost computer networks are exploited for many different purposes, including Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, abusing email delivery to spread spam as well as the hijacking of accounts and other important information, the centre said.

Internet users in Viet Nam still have the habit of using cracked software or non-copyrighted software without caring that unlicensed software is often not updated with patches for weaknesses and security holes in a timely manner, the centre said.

It leads to users' computers and devices not being constantly protected and very susceptible to being infected with malicious code because cracked software often installs malicious code intentionally, the centre said.

The rate of internet users in Viet Nam has increased to 70.3 per cent of the population over the last two decades, data revealed by the ministry of information and communications in June 2022/.