Brian Jeffrey
On June 3rd, during Fortinet Accelerate 2025 in Hanoi, Fortinet shared findings from a recent survey examining the cybersecurity landscape in Vietnam, which is an essential region for the international security company.
The survey, commissioned by Fortinet and executed by IDC, collected insights from personnel of various organizations with more than 250 employees, directly involved in shaping cybersecurity strategies and making investment choices.
Results indicate a marked rise in both the magnitude and complexity of cyber threats impacting Vietnam and the broader Asia-Pacific area. Fortinet experts observed that cyber risks have transitioned from being sporadic crises to ongoing threats. Organizations within Vietnam face a growing risk of discreet, anonymous attacks.
Traditional threats such as phishing and malware continue to increase at a rate of approximately 10 percent each year, a relatively modest figure likely due to enhanced endpoint defenses and user training efforts.
In contrast, the most rapidly emerging threats encompass ransomware (32 percent), vulnerabilities in cloud services (28 percent), assaults on IoT/OT systems (24 percent), attacks on supply chains (22 percent), and issues related to unpatched or zero-day vulnerabilities (20 percent).
According to Fortinet’s specialists, these threats are on the rise, taking advantage of deficiencies in governance, oversight, and system complexity, which complicates detection and amplifies the potential damage when they do succeed.
The repercussions of such cyber threats extend beyond mere operational interruptions, leading to data breaches, loss of privacy, erosion of customer confidence, and possible legal repercussions.
“The financial implications are considerable. Four percent of respondents indicated that data breaches resulted in financial setbacks, with one in four incidents costing in excess of $500,000,” reported a Fortinet expert.
The survey also underscored that attackers are employing AI technology to carry out covert assaults at unparalleled speeds, outpacing the ability of security teams to respond effectively.
The cyber threat environment is becoming increasingly complicated, taking advantage of inadequacies in visibility, governance, and foundational infrastructure, which presents substantial challenges for overtasked cybersecurity teams. Many organizations have acknowledged that AI is now a weapon for cybercriminals.
During a press briefing at the event, Rashish Pandey, Fortinet’s Vice President of Marketing & Communications for Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, noted that the utilization of AI by cybercriminals is a pressing reality, with approximately 52 percent of Vietnamese organizations reporting incidents of AI-enhanced cyber threats last year. These threats are accelerating swiftly, with 54 percent noting a twofold increase and 36 percent observing a threefold rise in such cases.
In Vietnam, noteworthy AI-enhanced cyber threats include brute force attacks using stolen credentials for multiple system logins, employing deepfake technology in business email scams, and automating reconnaissance of attack surfaces.
Despite the increase in AI-mediated attacks, only 8 percent of organizations surveyed feel secure in their current defense mechanisms. Meanwhile, 30 percent concede that AI-driven threats outpace their detection abilities, and 33 percent report a lack of capability to monitor these types of attacks.
