Vietnam: Cyber crime cost 1.76 bln dlrs in 2008

Computer crime cost Vietnam 1.76 billion dollars last year while many businesses do not even have security systems, state media reported.

The lack of protection against cyber criminals led to almost 60 million computers being infected with viruses and 461 websites attacked by hackers.

More than 40 computer crime cases resulted in losses worth 30 trillion dong (1.76 billion dollars), the Vietnam News Agency said, citing the Ministry of Public Security.

Forty percent of businesses lack firewalls, 70 percent have no process to deal with information security problems and 85 percent do not have information security policies, the Ministry of Information and Communications' Computer Emergency Response Team said, according to the report.

In a bid to increase protection the information and security ministries helped organise an exhibition that opened Tuesday that features the latest computer security systems for government and businesses, it said.