On the afternoon of April 2, Vietnam Oil Corporation – Joint Stock Company (PVOIL) officially informed that from 0:00 on April 2, the Corporation’s IT system was illegally and intentionally attacked in the form of data encryption – ransomware.

A representative of the Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) said that immediately after receiving information about the ransomware attack targeting PVOIL’s information technology system, the Department’s functional forces quickly sent experts to support PVOIL in investigating and troubleshooting to soon restore system operations.

Previously, another Vietnamese company, VN-DIRECT Securities Joint Stock Company, was also attacked by ransomware and has just been resolved. According to cybersecurity experts, VN-DIRECT Securities Company’s information system was attacked by a group of professional international hackers, causing all company data to be encrypted.

Ransomware attacks have been a constant nightmare for businesses and organizations around the world over the years, due to the serious consequences they can cause. Experts have even described ransomware as a “nightmare” or “ghost” in cyberspace.

Notably, on March 30, based on the discovery that ransomware attacks on businesses and organizations in Vietnam are on the rise, the Department of Information Security warned agencies, organizations and businesses nationwide to urgently review and deploy measures to ensure network information security for information systems under their management.