Lac Hong University’s Position on the Cybersecurity Map of Dong Nai Province

Cyber security exercise amid rising cybersecurity threats

According to the Dong Nai Provincial Police, throughout 2025, the province’s specialized cybersecurity forces, together with the network security monitoring system, detected, blocked, and handled more than 397,593 suspicious connections. Among these were 2,549 malware samples, including 889 classified as highly dangerous, primarily designed for data encryption and information theft.

This reality demonstrates that cybersecurity is no longer a potential risk but has become a constant challenge to local government operations, as well as to the protection of citizens’ and businesses’ data. In response to this urgent demand, organizing advanced training combined with live-fire drills is considered a critical step in assessing the real-world capacity of information system protection.

Overview of the conference at MobiFone

Lac Hong University represents the education sector in the attacking team

A key highlight of this year’s drill was the participation of Lac Hong University as part of the Attacking Team (Team No. 14). This team was responsible for simulating cyberattacks on the province’s information systems to test the detection, response, and recovery capabilities of the defensive forces.

Among the attacking teams involved, Lac Hong University was one of the very few higher education institutions entrusted with practical training exercise, alongside leading organizations with extensive expertise in cybersecurity and information technology such as the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention (A05), Viettel, FPT, and Mobifone. The presence of a university within this group highlights the increasingly important role of educational institutions in the local cybersecurity ecosystem.

A representative of Lac Hong University receiving a commemorative bouquet from the conference

Live operations on real systems - a measure of training capacity

Unlike simulation-based exercises, Dong Nai Province’s 2025 cybersecurity drill was conducted on real systems with specific scenarios, requiring participating forces to handle incidents under high time pressure and complexity. The attacking teams were tasked with proactively identifying weaknesses, exploiting vulnerabilities, and simulating common real-world intrusion techniques.

Lac Hong University’s direct participation in this role demonstrates that its training and research capabilities extend beyond theory or laboratory settings and are closely aligned with professional standards in cybersecurity. Students and lecturers had the opportunity to apply offensive and defensive thinking in real-world contexts, gaining deeper insight into the practical requirements of ensuring information security in the digital environment.

Students of the Faculty of Information Technology, Lac Hong University, Team 14 Red Team, participating in a cybersecurity drill

Information security as public service discipline in the digital era

At the opening ceremony, Senior Colonel Nguyen Phuong Dang, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Provincial Police, emphasized that the training and live-fire drills aim to equip incident response personnel with practical skills and resilience. He stressed that information security should be regarded as a form of public service discipline in the digital environment, not merely the responsibility of technical units, and should not wait until incidents occur to be addressed.

Accordingly, the drill was not intended to produce formalistic reports, but to assess real capabilities, identify genuine weaknesses, and propose practical remediation measures. This context further underscores the role of institutions like Lac Hong University, where academic knowledge and training capacity are directly applied to the practical management and protection of provincial information systems.

Advanced Training Conference on Information Security Takes Group Photo Session

Affirming an application-oriented university model aligned with local needs

Participation in a provincial-level cybersecurity attacking team represents not only a significant milestone for Lac Hong University but also reaffirms its application-oriented training approach. From lecture halls to live operational environments, students are exposed to real-world challenges faced by local authorities, thereby enhancing professional competence and adaptability to labor market demands.

As digital transformation accelerates, cybersecurity has become a critical pillar of digital governance and sustainable development. Lac Hong University’s participation in Dong Nai Province’s cybersecurity drill highlights the university’s growing role in training high-quality human resources ready to safeguard local and national cyberspace.

Representative of Lac Hong University at the conference