IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Biometric security -- which employs systems that read people's fingerprints or compare their voiceprint or retina scans to information in data banks in order to authenticate them -- is being heavily used in some of the United States' most critical installations.

The following 10 North Carolina counties are now using the technology: Burke, Caldwell, Cleveland, Davidson, Forsyth, Iredell, Lincoln, McDowell, Polk and Rutherford. With the expansion of the biometric information sharing capability to these counties, ICE is now using it in 39 North Carolina jurisdictions. Across the country, ICE is using this capability in 544 jurisdictions in 27 states. ICE expects to make it available in jurisdictions nationwide by 2013.

The White House on Wednesday issued an update of the Obama administration's ongoing cybersecurity work, detailing some of the steps being taken in an effort to secure the nation's networks against cyber attacks and in the process offering some new insight into the administration's future plans.

The progress report, issued immediately after a meeting held by White House cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt with agency secretaries, cybersecurity experts, and industry, notes that the cybersecurity directorate of the White House national security staff is currently in the midst of developing an updated national cybersecurity strategy based on the 12-piece Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative.

A memo (PDF format) released this week by the Office of Management and Budget lays out new requirements for agencies to set up automated threat-monitoring feeds that automatically gather data from security management tools -- enabling admins to gather real-time data on attacks and other dangers.

Following the ceremony, experts from Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute (SEI) will conduct a week-long workshop to help key GoA and non-governmental institutions understand cyber-security models, build skills to resist operational threats, and develop processes for managing cyber-security incidents.

According to the Ministry, two of the most common cyber-attacks include defacement, which changes the interface of a site, and denial-of-service attacks, which prevents users from accessing computer sources.

The Ministry called on agencies to regularly run virus scans, use firewalls, change network administration usernames and passwords to secure their respective systems.

CrimsonLogic, a provider of e-government solutions and services, said the Vietnam government has contracted their services for a consultancy project that will see users of government services receiving improved services through enhanced e-governance capabilities.

The plan, which will run from 2010 to 2020, has a budget of US$42 million to re-enforce Vietnam’s online infrastructure and put in place a legal framework to crack down on cyber crime.

Nguyen Duc Tuan, Head of the anti-spam group, The Vietnam Emergency Response Team, MIC, told FutureGov Asia Pacific: “MIC has drafted information security regulations, and penal provisions for cybercrime have been issued under the Criminal Code of Vietnam. Assigned government agencies will have the power to investigate security breaches in accordance with the law.”

Most basic goals in Resolution No.17/NQ-CP about electronic and digital government development until 2020 are fully met, said the Ministry of Information and Communications in its summary report on the two years implementing the Resolution.

In the last 5 years, both the central Government, the local authorities, and the community have wholeheartedly supported the establishment of an e-government in Vietnam, leading to such impressive success in only 2 years adopting Resolution No. 17/NQ-CP.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the Singaporean Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) held a virtual ministerial meeting on September 29 to discuss bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity.

The Vietnamese side was led by Minister of Public Security General To Lam, while the Singaporean delegation was led by S. Iswaran, Minister in charge of Cybersecurity at the MCI.

Participants at a conference on governmental cybersecurity heard an urgent message yesterday: ensuring information security for each Governmental body is essential, especially as Việt Nam is developing an e-Government infrastructure.

The conference on confidentiality and information security toward the implementation of e-Government in Việt Nam was held yesterday by the Government’s Cipher Committee, aiming to raise awareness and work toward a more robust approach to cybersecurity.

The Ministry of Information and Communications has determined that the cloud computing platform is a key part of telecommunications infrastructure to focus on in the coming years. The ministry has also defined cloud computing as the digital infrastructure for the development of a digital government, digital economy and digital society.

The Vietnam Data Security Joint Stock Company has unveiled the DataTrust platform, the first platform to comply with personal data protection regulations in the country.

It was launched at the seminar 'Building Policies for Personal Data Protection' organised by the Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi on June 5.

DataTrust is the first digital platform in Vietnam to administer privacy rights in the fields of cybersecurity and safeguarding data.

Digital transformation and cyber security and safety are two aspects of a development trend, he told a teleconference with localities on May 14 aimed at bolstering their capacity in managing and implement digital transformation and information safety.

Vietnam needs to foster rapid and sustainable digital transformation but at the same time must ensure cyber security and safety, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung has emphasised.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a project on supervising the cyber security of IT services and systems that form the foundation of e-Government operations.

The project looks to improve capacity to respond to cyber attacks through 2025. It focuses on boosting response capabilities at the national cyber security monitoring centre located at the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT), relevant sectors, central-level provinces and cities, and internet service providers.

In fact, lacking information security experts is the big problem of almost countries now, when the “information war” tends to escalate, and the cyberspace has become a new “battle”. And Vietnam is not an exception.

Nguyen Minh Duc, Director of the Security Division of Bach Khoa Internetwork Security Center (BKIS) said that many holes have been existing in the networks of many ministries, branches and enterprises in Vietnam, because the agencies and enterprises do not have the staff in charge of information security. In 2010, about 1000 big websites were attacked by hackers. The same figure was also reported for 2009.

A conference to introduce IT products and ecosystems was co-held yesterday in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) by its Department of Information & Communications and Saigon Industry Corporation (CNS). In the conference, HCMC Information Security Center for the smart city formally started its operation.

In the launching ceremony of the information security center, Vice Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem expressed his deep appreciation, saying that this has marked a milestone on the way that HCMC carries out the ‘Smart City Transformation from 2017-2020, with a Vision to 2025’ project.

The Government has asked the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to prioritize mastering the ecosystem for Vietnamese cyber security products in order to best serve demands arisen from the process to establish an e-government, smart city, and essential national databases, as well as carrying out the national digital transformation.

In the recent Vietnam Information Security Day 2020, themed ‘Cyber Security – Key Factor in the National Digital Transformation’, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung stated that the mission of the Vietnamese cyber security team is to protect the national prosperity in the cyber environment via mastering the ecosystem for online security products and creating a strong sustainable cyber security industry.

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang on Friday launched the Centre for Monitoring Cyber Security and Safety, and Information Operation, as part of the Vietnamese province’s digital government initiative.

The 16 billion dong ($690,000) centre will improve administrative reform and the quality of public services, and protect information safety and security in cyberspace, as well as contribute to the objectives of a digital government and smart city, as directed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

That is one prominent finding contained in research produced recently by HP TippingPoint DVLabs, the SANS Institute and Qualys Research Labs on threats that occurred across the Internet from January to June 2010.

The 2010 Top Cyber Security Risks Report, focused on four areas. One is that Web applications are prolonged and persistent targets in enterprises, not only because they can be corrupted, but also because people are downloading corrupted Web apps at extremely high rates while at work. And if the applications are legitimate, users aren’t necessarily updating them or taking note of vulnerabilities that can be exploited.