E-wallet users have become common targets of online malware attacks and cyber-security companies are warning Vietnamese users to be careful.

According to Kaspersky Labs Mobile Malware Evolution report, malware attacks almost doubled in 2018 from 66.4 million instances to 116.5 million. There are 23 e-wallet services with millions of customers with mobile devices.

“E-wallet service providers are paying more attention to security, but as more software vulnerabilities are discovered, hackers can still take advantage to attack users,” Nguyen Van Cuong, head of the BKAV Technology Corporations cyber-security department, told Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper.

Payoo, the leading e-wallet service provider in Viet Nam, adopts many international security standards like ISO 27001: 2013 and PCI-DSS, but warns that customers should make online payments through secure websites and applications and inform service providers immediately if anything unusual happens.

“Payment service providers must strictly follow 12 payment card industry data security standards (PCI DSS) set by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council to ensure absolute safety for card owners and limit cheating and data theft,” Nguyen Phuoc Thanh Hai, senior technical manager of ZaloPay, said. “All companies that meet PCI DSS must recheck every year to ensure their system works well.”

Hai added that high-tech crime is now so common that customers should change their password regularly and set up two-factor authentication.

Nguyen Ba Diep, deputy chairman of e-wallet Momo, said: “Ensuring card security lies with both sides: service providers and users. “The responsibility of service providers is to secure their systems while users must strictly follow all security guidelines.”

Many users unintentionally reveal their passwords, OTP codes and other personal information, he said. — VNS