Newsletter: Plastic Credits Are Booming. This Platform Wants to Keep It Honest.

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A new global resource aims to bring transparency and credibility to the global plastic crisis’ rapidly growing solution: plastic credits.

Newsletter: Kaspersky has discovered SparkKitty: a new Trojan spy on App Store and Google Play

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Kaspersky researchers have discovered a new Trojan spy called SparkKitty which targets smartphones on iOS and Android. It sends images from an infected phone and information about the device to the attackers. This malware was embedded in apps related to crypto and gambling, as well as in a trojanized TikTok app, and was distributed on App Store and Google Play, as well as on scam websites. Experts suggest that the goal of the attackers is to steal cryptocurrency assets from residents of Southeast Asia and China. Users in the Philippines are also potentially at risk of facing a similar cyber threat. 

Kaspersky has notified Google and Apple about the malicious apps. Certain technical details suggest that the new malware campaign is linked to the previously discovered SparkCat Trojan — malware (the first of its kind on iOS) with a built-in optical character recognition (OCR) module that allows it to scan image galleries and steal screenshots containing cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases or passwords. The SparkKitty case is the second time in a year that Kaspersky researchers have found a Trojan stealer on App Store, following SparkCat.

iOS

On App Store, the Trojan pretended to be an app related to cryptocurrencies — 币coin. On phishing pages mimicking the official iPhone App Store, the malware was distributed under the guise of TikTok and gambling applications.

An alleged crypto exchange app, 币coin, on App Store

A webpage mimicking AppStore to install an alleged TikTok app through developer tools

A fake web store embedded into the alleged TikTok app

"One of the vectors for the Trojan's distribution turned out to be fake websites where the attackers tried to infect the victims' iPhones. iOS has several legitimate ways to install programs not from the App Store. In this malicious campaign, the attackers used one of them — special developer tools for distributing corporate business applications. In the infected version of TikTok, during authorization, the malware, in addition to stealing photos from the smartphone gallery, embedded links to a suspicious store in the person's profile window. This store only accepts cryptocurrencies, which increases our concerns about it,” explains Sergey Puzan, a malware expert at Kaspersky.

Android

The attackers targeted users both on third-party websites and on Google Play, passing off the malware as various crypto services. For example, one of the infected applications — a messenger called SOEX with a cryptocurrency exchange function — was downloaded from the official store over 10,000 times. 

An alleged crypto exchange app, SOEX, on Google Play

Experts also found APK files of infected apps (these can be installed directly on Android smartphones bypassing official stores) on third-party websites that are likely related to the detected malicious campaign. They are positioned as investment crypto projects. The websites on which these applications were posted were advertised on social networks, including YouTube. 

"After the apps were installed, they functioned as promised in their description. But at the same time, photos from the smartphone gallery were sent to the attackers. The attackers may later try to find various confidential data in the images, for instance, crypto wallet recovery phrases to access the victims' assets. There are indirect signs that the attackers are interested in people's digital assets: many of the infected apps were related to crypto, and the trojanized TikTok app also had a built-in store that accepted payment for goods only in crypto," comments Dmitry Kalinin, a malware expert at Kaspersky. 

A detailed report about this attack is available on Securelist.com. 

To avoid becoming a victim of this malware, Kaspersky recommends the following safety measures:

• If you have installed one of the infected applications, remove it from your device and do not use it until an update has been released to eliminate the malicious functionality
• Avoid storing screenshots containing sensitive information in your gallery, including cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases. Passwords, for example, could be stored in specialized applications such as Kaspersky Password Manager.
• Reliable cybersecurity software, like Kaspersky Premium, can prevent malware infections. Due to the architectural features of the Apple operating system, the Kaspersky solution for iOS shows the user a warning if it detects an attempt to transfer data to the attacker's command server, and blocks the attacker from transferring data.
• If an app asks for permission to access the phone's photo library, consider if this app really needs it. 

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Newsletter: VRITIMES Philippines Highlights Media Outreach Solutions at Commercial Vehicle Show 2025

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VRITIMES Philippines, a leading press release distribution platform, is proud to announce its participation in the Commercial Vehicle Show 2025, taking place from July 3 to 5 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. This major trade event brings together key players from the transportation, logistics, and fleet management sectors to explore innovations and expand business connections.

Newsletter: Tenable Uncovers “GerriScary” Supply‑Chain Compromise Vulnerability in Popular Google’s Open‑Source Projects

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Tenable, the exposure management company, has identified a vulnerability in Google’s open-source code review system, Gerrit, dubbed GerriScary. The vulnerability allowed unauthorised code submission to at least 18 major Google projects, including ChromiumOS (CVE-2025-1568), Chromium, Dart, and Bazel. GerriScary could have allowed attackers to submit unauthorised code revisions to existing change requests, bypassing manual approvals and enabling malicious code injection into major projects.

Newsletter: Achieve Breakthroughs with the realme GT 7 Series

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Change is often scary, but it usually holds space for growth and courage. Whether it’s shifting career, choosing to live independently, or prioritizing passion over career, exploring something new always requires thoughtful consideration and a lot of preparation, but it can also lead to something deeply fulfilling and meaningful.

Newsletter: Bookshelf PH Launches Sari-sari Stories: Book of Pride

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Bookshelf PH launched Sari-sari Stories: Book of Pride on June 11, 2025, featuring eight original stories by Filipino authors that celebrate LGBTQIA+ love, identity, and courage. Released for Pride Month, the anthology continues the publisher’s mission to amplify diverse voices in Philippine literature.

Newsletter: Alsons Power Drives Environmental Sustainability, Empowers Communities in Sarangani

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As global energy demands surge, the question remains: Can we drive progress without harming the planet? Alsons Power Group believes the answer is clear — it is possible to power with care.

Newsletter: Tablevibe partners with GCash to bring food services to millions of customers across thousands of restaurants

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In its continued bid to champion digital transformation in the Philippines, GCash is partnering with digital ordering platforms for restaurants, starting with Tablevibe. GCash users can now order food for delivery, pickup, or dine-in directly in the GCash app. As a gateway, this initiative aims to accelerate the trial and growth of food delivery, since a majority of its millions of GCash users have not yet tried the service.

Newsletter: Rock Opong finds beauty in goodbye with new single “We Tried”

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Filipino singer-songwriter Rock Opong drops his latest single, “We Tried”—out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.

Newsletter: Bitget joins UNICEF Game Changers Coalition to provide blockchain education to 300K people in 2025

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Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has entered a three-year partnership with UNICEF Luxembourg to advance digital skills and blockchain literacy among young people.

Newsletter: Hitachi Vantara Recognized as a Leader and Fast Mover in GigaOm Radar for High-Performance Storage Optimized for AI Workloads

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Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), today announced it has been named a Leader and Fast Mover in the 2025 GigaOm Radar for High-Performance Storage Optimized for AI Workloads. This marks the first iteration of this GigaOm Radar report in this category, and Hitachi Vantara’s inclusion as a leader highlights the company’s ability to deliver high-performance, enterprise-ready infrastructure to meet the complex demands of AI and machine learning workloads.

Newsletter: PNP-ACG and GCash target cybercriminals in joint social media patrols

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As part of its ongoing campaign to patrol social media platforms to reinforce public trust and ensure the security of cashless transactions, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), in collaboration with GCash, recently apprehended multiple suspects involved in cyber-related crimes that include child exploitation and illegal sale of pre-registered SIM cards.

Newsletter: Taxumo and Cebuana Lhuillier to Fuel Business Growth for Filipino Entrepreneurs

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Taxumo, the trusted online tax filing platform, has partnered with Cebuana Lhuillier, one of the Philippines’ largest and leading microfinancial services provider, to empower Filipino entrepreneurs through accessible business loans and empower MSMEs with simplified tax compliance.

Newsletter: Building Beyond Borders: P.A. Properties Hankyu Hanshin marks 8 years of redefining community living

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Eight years ago, a vision shared by two real estate firms—one Filipino, one Japanese—gave birth to P.A. Properties Hankyu Hanshin (PAHH). Today, that vision stands as a living blueprint for purposeful, people-centered housing development.

Newsletter: Kaspersky study: Only a quarter of organizations in APAC perform regular cybersecurity assessments

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This leaves them exposed to unplanned downtime, production losses and the reputational and financial damages that can result from possible cyber breaches. This alarming trend was highlighted in a recent joint survey conducted by VDC Research and Kaspersky.