VIETNAM CYBER-SAVVINESS

REPORT 2015

CYBERSECURITY: USER KNOWLEDGE, BEHAVIOUR

AND ATTITUDES IN VIETNAM

CONTENTS

1. Why did ESET Undertake this Report?

2. Report Methodology

3. Key Highlights

4. How Many users in Vietnam Worry about Cybersecurity?

5. Top Cybersecurity-Related Worries

6. Threat Users are Least Worried About

7. Top Misconceptions about Cybersecurity

8. Other Misconceptions about Cybersecurity

9. Top Risky Online Behaviors in Vietnam

10. Who Takes the Most Risks Online?

11. Proactive Measures taken to Guard Against Cyber-Attacks

12. How does Vietnam compare with other APAC Markets?

13. Conclusion

14. About ESET

Why Did ESET Undertake This Report?

In November 2015, ESET, a global pioneer in proactive protection for more than two decades,conducted its Vietnam Cyber-Savviness Report 2015. The survey aimed to provide insight into theattitudes of internet users across Asia on the topic of cyber security, also uncovering levels of cybersecurity knowledge and investigating how this translates into how people behave online, the activitiesthey engage in and the precautions they take while surfing the internet.

Earlier this year, ESET also developed the first ESET Asia Cyber-Savviness Report which surveyed 1800respondents across Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand with the sameobjectives. To download the full Asia Report, please click here.

Report Methodology

The ESET Vietnam Cyber-Savviness Report 2015, was commissioned by ESET. The survey was conducted inNovember 2015 by a third party research company through face-to-face interviews with 500 respondents inHanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Respondents were aged between 18 – 60 years, with an equal male to femaleratio across the two cities.

Key Highlights

• A cyber security knowledge gap exists in Vietnam which could be putting users at risk. Overall usersin Vietnam have low cyber security awareness and do not take adequate preventive measures.

• When compared with other Asia-Pacific markets, Vietnam comes in last in terms of cyber-savvinessbehind Malaysia, Singapore, India, Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia, in that order. Cyber-savviness is based on factors such as users’ knowledge or ability to understand activities likely tomake them vulnerable online, risky behaviors while surfing the web, and proactive steps taken toprotect themselves.

• While 87 percent of users in the country worry about online threats, only 32 percent take the rightsteps to protect themselves – amongst the lowest in Asia-Pacific.

• Risky online behavior is widespread in Vietnam. Users commit basic mistakes like connecting tounsecured public Wi-Fi (71%) and setting easy to remember passwords (70%). The results also showthat, on average, over 68 percent of 18-24 year olds in the country engage in risky online behavior.

87%

13%

Yes No

Are you worried about cybersecurity?

How many users in Vietnam worry about cybersecurity

53% 53%

35% 35%33%

29%

Theft of personalinformation

Viruses infecting personaldevices

Theft of online bankinginformation

Loss of data stored ondevices

Loss of email passwords Access into untrustedwebsites

Users in Vietnam worry most about the safety of sensitive information on their personal devices and

protecting their devices from viruses. Other concerns include loss of data storied on devices (35%), loss of

email passwords (33%) and theft of online banking information (35%).

Top Cybersecurity-Related Worries

*Percentage of users who said they worried about the following threats

26%

22% 22%

19%

15%

13%

Installation of unsecuredsoftware / apps

Malware infections Spam / Unwanted emails Banner ads / pop-ups Rogue security software Don’t have any concerns

Worryingly, less than 30 percent of users surveyed recognized the serious risks posed by common threats

such as unsecured applications, spam emails and banner advertisements, highlighting another serious

knowledge gap that could be making them vulnerable to attack.

Threats users are least worried about

*Percentage of users who said they worried about the following threats

49%47%

38%

30%

41%

60%

51%53%

62%

70%

59%

40%

Is it safe to keep

accounts signed in on

your computer?

Is it safe to keep

accounts signed in on

your mobile?

Is a PC more likely to be

hacked than a mobile

device?

Is it safe to create

passwords using easy to

remember personal

details?

Is it safe to connect to

free public Wi-Fi?

Is it safe to click on

banner advertisements?

Correct Answer Wrong Answer

A large proportion of Vietnamese Internet users have misconceptions about common cybersecurity issues

such as the dangers of connecting to free public Wi-Fi and creating passwords with personal details. Users

also failed to recognize the prevalence of cybersecurity threats on mobile devices.

Top misconceptions about cybersecurity

*Percentage of users who correctly/incorrectly answered cybersecurity related questions

59% 61%56%

72% 70%

59%

41% 39%44%

28% 30%

41%

Is it safe to open emails ifnothing gets downloaded?

Is it safe to save personaldetails on your computer?

Is it safe to save personaldetails on your mobile?

Is it safe to save personaldetails on your web

browser?

Is it safe to save personaldetails on social media

sites?

Should a device bedisconnected from the

Internet if a hack issuspected?

Correct Answer Wrong Answer

While more people were able to answer these questions correctly, on average more than 35% were not

able to do so. This highlights that there is quite a large gap in knowledge in Vietnam when it comes to

cybersecurity issues.

Other misconceptions about cybersecurity

*Percentage of users who correctly/incorrectly answered cybersecurity related questions

71% 70%66%

59%

52%49%

Connecting to free publicWi-Fi

Setting easy-to-rememberpasswords

Keeping passwordsunchanged for a long time

Using same passwords formultiple accounts

Keeping accounts signed inat all times

Downloading files fromunofficial sources

Users in Vietnam expose themselves to a great deal of online risk. Many users commit basic mistakes

around password maintenance including setting easy to remember passwords (70%), keeping them

unchanged for a long time (66%) and using the same password for multiple accounts (59%).

Top risky online behaviors in Vietnam

*Percentage of users who engage in the following risky behavior

78% 77%

71% 70%

59%49%

73% 73%

68%

57%55%

51%

69%

74%

64%

53%

47%51%51%

43%

50%

43%

34%

26%

Connecting to freepublic Wi-Fi

Setting easy-to-remember passwords

Keeping passwordsunchanged for a long

time

Using same passwordsfor multiple accounts

Keeping accounts signedin at all times

Downloading files fromunofficial sources

18-24 y.o

25-34 y.o

35-44 y.o.

45-60 y.o.

18-24 year olds in Vietnam are most likely to engage in risky behavior online as compared to other age

groups.

Who takes the most risks online?

*Percentage of users across different age groups who engage in the following risky behavior

59%

54% 54% 53%51% 50%

45%43%

36%

Using strongpasswords

Using differentpasswords for

different accounts

Changingpasswordsregularly

Downloading filesonly from trusted

sites

Setting passwordson personal

devices

Only accessingtrusted / reputed

websites

Only acceptingsocial media

requests fromknown individuals

Keeping softwareup-to-date

Installing firewallsand anti-virus

software

*Percentage of users who take the following proactive actions

Proactive measures taken to guard against cyber-attacks

How does Vietnam compare with other APAC markets?

Vietnam came last in terms of cyber-

savviness behind Malaysia, Singapore,

India, Thailand, Hong Kong and

Indonesia, in that order.

Cyber-savviness is based on factors such

as users’ knowledge or ability to

understand activities that are likely to

make them vulnerable online, risky

behaviors while surfing the web, and the

proactive steps they can take to protect

themselves online.

The results of the survey indicate that Internet users in Vietnam

still have some way to go when it comes to protecting

themselves against online threats. As more innovative and

disruptive technologies continue to make their way into the

marketplace, it’s important for individuals and enterprises to be

able to embrace and enjoy all that these technologies have to

offer. We know that there are a lot of cyber criminals out there,

trying their best to exploit any vulnerability they can find to make

a fast buck, however cyber space does not have to be a scary

place. In fact, by following some easy steps, businesses and

individuals can be confident that they are protected while surfing

the web.

CONCLUSION

ESET® is the pioneer of proactive protection and the maker of

the award-winning ESET NOD32® technology, is a global

provider of security solutions for businesses and consumers. For

over 26 years, the Company continues to lead the industry in

proactive threat detection. By obtaining the 80th VB100 award in

June 2013, ESET NOD32 technology holds the record number of

Virus Bulletin “VB100” Awards, and has never missed a single “In-

the-Wild” worm or virus since the inception of testing in 1998. In

addition, ESET NOD32 technology holds the longest consecutive

string of the VB100 awards of any AV vendor. ESET has also

received a number of accolades from AV-Comparatives, AV-TEST

and other testing organisations and reviews. ESET NOD32®

Antivirus, ESET Smart Security®, ESET Cyber Security® (solution

for Mac), ESET® Mobile Security and IT Security for Business are

trusted by millions of global users and are among the most

recommended security solutions in the world.

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