Data has become a prime target in the wave of cyberattacks.

With over 481 million data records leaked in Q3 2026, coupled with a nearly 258% increase in DDoS attacks, cybersecurity is becoming a major challenge for Vietnam's digital economy.

The increase in data breaches, denial-of-service attacks, and ransomware is posing growing risks to Vietnamese businesses. Notably, hackers are not only increasing the number of attacks but are also shifting their focus to exploiting large-scale databases, targeting systems with the potential to generate significant economic value and impact.

According to Viettel Threat Intelligence's Q3/2026 Cybersecurity Risk Report in Vietnam, Vietnam recorded 65 data breaches in three months, with over 481.4 million records leaked and more than 107.75 GB of information compromised. Nine incidents remain unaccounted for due to hackers not disclosing the amount of data stolen.

Notably, while the number of data breaches decreased month by month, the amount of data offered for sale increased sharply. From over 77.3 million records in July 2026, this number rose to over 178.4 million records in August and reached over 225.6 million records in September.

This shift reflects a significant trend: hackers are moving from widespread attacks to focusing on exploiting organizations and businesses that hold large databases. With this approach, a single successful intrusion can yield a massive amount of information, creating value in the illegal data trading market.

Data assets face increasing risks.

Meanwhile, retail and e-commerce recorded 9 incidents with over 165.3 million records leaked.

These are all highly digitized sectors, possessing vast amounts of customer and transaction data. As business operations become increasingly reliant on digital platforms, data is not only an input for operations but also a valuable competitive asset for businesses.

Therefore, data leaks don't just pose a risk of personal information being exposed. Data customers, shipping documents, transactions, and operations can be exploited to carry out fraud, impersonation, account hijacking, or to build targeted attack scenarios.

Another risk lies in the theft of user authentication information. Viettel Threat Intelligence recorded over 5.4 million leaked personal account records in Q3 2026, a 15.5% decrease compared to the same period last year. Stealer malware continues to be the primary source of infection.

More concerningly, leaked login credentials for corporate email systems, centralized identity management platforms (SSOs), and virtual private networks (VPNs) could become gateways for hackers to penetrate deep into IT infrastructure.

In a business environment, a compromised account can create a chain reaction, ranging from unauthorized access to internal systems to data theft, operational disruption, and malware distribution. This necessitates a shift in cybersecurity approach, moving from protecting individual devices to comprehensive control over identity, access rights, and data flow.

DDoS attacks have increased by nearly 258%, and ransomware is approaching alert levels.

Not only data, but the ability to maintain the continuous operation of digital systems is also under immense pressure.

In the third quarter of 2026, the Viettel Anti-DDoS system recorded 1,958,124 distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, a 257.9% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

Although 94.56% of the attacks had bandwidth below 1 Gbps, 1,897 attacks exceeded 100 Gbps. The largest attack reached 4.01 Tbps, using a UDP Flood method.

DDoS attacks can render websites, applications, and online platforms inaccessible or cause operational disruptions. For businesses operating in the digital environment, especially in finance, e-commerce, logistics, and public services, each period of disruption can result in revenue losses, remediation costs, and damage to brand reputation.

Meanwhile, ransomware continues to pose a direct threat to production and business operations. Viettel Threat Intelligence recorded 15 attacks in Q3 2026, nearly equal to the total number of attacks in the first six months of the year. The total amount of encrypted data exceeded 1 TB.

The sectors most targeted include finance and banking, agriculture and food production, and education and EdTech.

It's worth noting that ransomware increasingly poses risks beyond just data loss. When systems are encrypted, businesses may face operational shutdowns, supply chain disruptions, and significant recovery costs. For organizations lacking backup and recovery measures, damage can persist even after the incident is brought under control.

Alongside this, online phishing campaigns continue to increase. In the third quarter, Vietnam recorded 4,793 phishing domains, a 20% increase, and 2,242 fake websites, a 156% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Finance and banking, public services, and retail and e-commerce are among the most targeted sectors.

AI expands its attack space.

One notable trend in the report is the changing way hackers exploit artificial intelligence (AI).

While AI was previously primarily used to create fake images, voices, and content to enhance the credibility of impersonation scenarios, by the end of Q3 2026, hackers had begun exploiting popular AI tools and models to spread malware.

Some campaigns also use fake recruitment content in the technology and cryptocurrency fields to trick users into downloading and installing malware.

This shows that AI is creating change on both sides of the cybersecurity space. The technology helps businesses improve productivity, automate processes, and optimize operations, but it can also be exploited by criminal groups to scale up, increase sophistication, and reduce the cost of carrying out attacks.

Conversely, the increasing number of new security vulnerabilities is also putting more pressure on defense efforts. The third quarter of 2026 saw 34,223 new vulnerabilities, nearly 2.7 times higher than the same period in 2025. Of these, vulnerabilities classified as critical or high-level accounted for nearly 60%.

However, actual attack campaigns still primarily exploit previously identified vulnerabilities such as Log4Shell, F5 BIG-IP, SolarWinds Orion, and Confluence.

This paradox highlights that the problem lies not only in the increasing number of new vulnerabilities in technology, but also in the ability to manage and address previously identified weaknesses. If businesses fail to promptly update, patch, and control their legacy systems, known vulnerabilities can still become effective entry points for hackers.

In light of these developments, Viettel Threat Intelligence recommends that organizations and businesses maintain continuous 24/7 information security monitoring; regularly review, update, and patch vulnerabilities; back up data periodically; and strengthen access control and risk management from partners and suppliers in the supply chain.

Based on developments in Q3 2026, it is clear that cybersecurity is becoming a crucial component of the competitiveness and resilience of businesses in the digital economy. As data increasingly becomes a strategic asset, a cybersecurity incident is not simply a technical issue but can directly impact revenue, operations, reputation, and customer trust.

Therefore, investment in cybersecurity should be placed within the corporate governance strategy, rather than simply being viewed as a technology expense. The ability to protect data, maintain business continuity, and respond to incidents will increasingly become crucial for businesses to participate more deeply in the digital economy.

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