Vietnam Government Denies Botnet Involvement

Last week, both Google and McAfee blogged about a botnet being used to launch DDoS attacks against blogs containing messages of political dissent. The botnet also sought to squelch opposition to bauxite mining efforts in Vietnam. Google's Neel Mehta said the botnet was affection vietnamese computer users around the world and that the malware had infected the computers of potentially tens of thousands of users who downloaded it via Vietnamese keyboard language software and other legitimate but altered software. McAfee's CTO, George Kurtz, said that the company believed the perpetrators may have some allegiance to the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

CNet reports that the Vietnamese government has branded the comments as "groundless," in a statement on its Website.

"Such comments are groundless. We have on many occasions clearly expounded our view on issues relating to access to and use of information and information technology, including the Internet. Vietnam law puts in place specific regulations against computer virus and malware as well as on information security and confidentiality."

  • sicpric
    Vietnam has computers...?
    Reply
  • coonday
    I really wish I had thought of putting "malware" on my license plate.
    Reply
  • UbeRveLT
    Apparently!
    Reply
  • darkknight22
    question, what does the malware license plate picture have to do with the article? sometimes i just don't understand how you chose pictures for your articles.
    Reply
  • mlopinto2k1
    M4LW4R3
    Reply
  • joeblowschmoe
    What?

    A communist Govt. stomping out dissenting voices, then lying about it?

    Whodathunkit?
    Reply
  • doc70
    ..."the botnet was affection vietnamese "...

    a lot of affection, indeed...
    C'mon, Jane, U can do better than that.
    Reply
  • anhxeom
    sicpric Vietnam has computers...?

    You better believe they do! They are building a $1billion Intel chipset manufacturing facility there. Asus, Gigabyte, Foxconn, etc is there. Every corners of their cities has internet cafe. If you haven't noticed, when Toms showed the preview of the Dell Mini 5 video and some other new gadgets, the video were from Vietnam. I believe it was tinhte.com, it's the Vietnamese version of Toms!
    Reply
  • maliusmaximus
    I've been living in Vietnam for years, and yeah they love their shiny new tech here just as much as any other developing country. Vietnam is also among the world leaders in certain fields of software development believe it or not. Also the government really is a case of "Big brother is watching". To write more would be a bad idea for me to do as people really get arrested, sentenced to death or deported for any anti-government sentiment....
    Reply
  • tommysch
    maliusmaximusI've been living in Vietnam for years, and yeah they love their shiny new tech here just as much as any other developing country. Vietnam is also among the world leaders in certain fields of software development believe it or not. Also the government really is a case of "Big brother is watching". To write more would be a bad idea for me to do as people really get arrested, sentenced to death or deported for any anti-government sentiment....
    In our ICBMs I trust.
    Reply