Android Malware Disguised as ChatGPT Apps Targeting Smartphone Users : Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 Research

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Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, has recently found a surge in Android malware that is pretending to be the popular AI Chatbot ChatGPT. The malware emerged following the release of OpenAI's GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, targeting users interested in using the ChatGPT tool.

A Meterpreter Trojan disguised as a "SuperGPT" app and a "ChatGPT" app are found to send premium-rate text messages, resulting in charges for the victims that are pocketed by threat actors. Considering that Android users can download applications from various sources other than the official Google Play store, there is potential for users to obtain applications that have not been vetted by Google.

Key findings include:

●       Impersonation of ChatGPT: A new android malware has emerged, disguising itself as ChatGPT. This surge coincided with the release of OpenAI's GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, targeting users interested in ChatGPT.

●       Meterpreter Trojan: The malware includes a Meterpreter Trojan disguised as a "SuperGPT" app. It enables remote access to infected Android devices upon successful exploitation.

●       Certificate Attribution: The digital code-signing certificate used in the malware samples is associated with an attacker identified as "Hax4Us." The certificate has been used across multiple malware samples.

●       SMS to Premium-Rate Numbers: A cluster of malware samples, masquerading as ChatGPT-themed apps, sends SMS messages to premium-rate numbers in Thailand. These numbers incur charges for the victims, facilitating scams and fraudulent activities.

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About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is the world’s cybersecurity leader. We innovate to outpace cyberthreats, so organizations can embrace technology with confidence. We provide next-gen cybersecurity to thousands of customers globally, across all sectors. Our best-in-class cybersecurity platforms and services are backed by industry-leading threat intelligence and strengthened by state-of-the-art automation. Whether deploying our products to enable the Zero Trust Enterprise, responding to a security incident, or partnering to deliver better security outcomes through a world-class partner ecosystem, we’re committed to helping ensure each day is safer than the one before. It’s what makes us the cybersecurity partner of choice.

At Palo Alto Networks, we’re committed to bringing together the very best people in service of our mission, so we’re also proud to be the cybersecurity workplace of choice, recognized among Newsweek’s Most Loved Workplaces (2021 and 2022), Comparably Best Companies for Diversity (2021), and HRC Best Places for LGBTQ Equality (2022). For more information, visit www.paloaltonetworks.com.

Gigacover, Generali partner to provide affordable health insurance for freelancers, entrepreneurs

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Insurtech Gigacover and Generali Philippines, a leading player in the insurance industry, have teamed up to further democratize access to insurance in the Philippines.

From left: Grace Gelle, Vice President, Generali, and Amerson Lin, CEO and

 Co-founder, Gigacover

With the partnership, Generali will be able to feature its wide-range of insurance products that are tailor-fit to the needs of Filipino consumers in Gigacover’s platform.

“Gigacover and Generali share the same vision and strategy of leveraging technology and making insurance more accessible to many people and varied industries. In an ever-changing world, the means to get insured also evolves. We will rely on our core strengths – Generali as a trusted, global insurance provider and Gigacover as a transformative platform – to provide Filipinos a more seamless and innovative approach to insurance,” Gigacover CEO and Co-founder Amerson Lin said.

Gigacover’s Freelancer Health Insurance is a comprehensive and tailored insurance solution designed specifically for the needs of freelancers and self-employed individuals. The insurance plan offers a range of benefits and coverage options to safeguard freelancers’ health and well-being while providing peace of mind in an ever-changing professional landscape.

With over 1,600 accredited hospitals and clinics, and more than 30,000 partner doctors nationwide, coverage options include confinement, doctor consultations, diagnostic tests, emergency care benefits, special procedures, new modalities of treatment, annual physical exams, and dental coverage. All of this is available for a low, annual, one-time payment of Php 11,188.

“We at Generali believe in developing comprehensive insurance products at affordable costs. Our partnership with Gigacover allows us to further democratize access to insurance products, driving insurance interest and acceptance, as a whole, in the Philippines,” Generali Vice President Grace Gelle said.

Data from the Insurance Commission (IC) showed that insurance penetration, which refers to the industry’s contribution to the economy, was at 1.72 percent in 2022, while insurance density, or the average spending of individuals on premiums, was still at P3,388.99.

The government recognizes the need to accelerate the development of the industry with no less than the Insurance Commissioner Reynaldo A. Regalado urging the sector to make insurance more accessible to more Filipinos.

Insurtech companies such as Gigacover are best positioned to develop insurance solutions that cater to the needs of the underserved segments of the economy, especially freelance workers and entrepreneurs.

Gigacover has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to help insurers analyze big data and identify risks quickly and accurately. As a result, risk assessment and management strategies become smart and impartial.

More than getting more Filipinos insured, Gigacover’s system is able to extract data from claims documents and images, calculate and check against limits, detect potential fraud and also decide if advance claims payouts can be done for specific customer groups. This yields higher client satisfaction and also lower loss ratios for the insurers.

“Our goal is to bring quality and affordable insurance closer to the underserved. Our partnership with Generali is a step toward this goal,” Lin said.

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About Gigacover

Gigacover was founded in 2017 in Singapore to bring fairness and stability to independent workers. These include gig workers, freelancers and self-employed persons, many of whom lack access to right-sized financial services. It launched the region's first income protection insurance to meet the needs of the gig economy and has since gone on to serve caregivers, tutors, real estate agents and delivery riders. Gigacover's product suite has also expanded to include earnings advances and payroll accounts. Through technology and data, Gigacover automates distribution, administration and generates insights for risk management in order to bring flexible, affordable and portable benefits to its users. As of 2021, Gigacover has presence in Singapore and the Philippines and is backed by Vectr Fintech Partners, Quest Venture Partners, Alto Partners, M Venture Partners and Farsight Capital.

For more information, please visit: https://gigacover.com

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About Generali

Generali Life Assurance Philippines Inc. (Generali Philippines), a subsidiary of leading global insurer Assicurazioni Generali, has been providing life insurance solutions to international and local clients in the Philippines since 1999, and has a solid track record particularly in the group insurance and credit life business. Sustainability is deeply integrated into everything we do: from social and green products, digital – based services, Corporate Social Responsibility, DEI programs, responsible investments among others.

To know more about Generali, visit www.generali.com.ph.

Century Park Hotel to participate in Wedding and Debut Expo 2023

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Century Park Hotel (CPH), one of the finest hotels in the City of Manila, is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming Wedding and Debut 2023 on July 15 and 16 at the SMX Convention Center, MOA Complex, Pasay City.

Expected to attend this much-awaited affair are soon-to-be-wed couples, debutantes and even those manifesting their dream wedding.

The two-day event will bring to life the latest trends and products in the wedding industry. It will showcase the biggest gathering of wedding suppliers and event professionals who are eager to make those milestones come to life. From wedding organizers, cakes, pre-nuptial gimmicks, event venues, jewelries, photo & video coverage, honeymoon packages to bridal gowns and a whole lot more, the Wedding and Debut Expo will be the ultimate haven for those who are on the lookout for great discounts, deals and top-ups.

As an event partner, Century Park Hotel will give away special packages, offers and tons of freebies for those who will book and confirm their events during the expo.

“Century Park Hotel has been giving valuable service to corporate and non-corporate clients since its establishment. While we already have considerable experience in executing events, we always aim to level up our service to anyone who wishes to have their most important milestone held at the hotel,” said Peter Michael Quieng, CPH’s Director for Sales & Marketing. “The upcoming Wedding and Debut Expo is another venue for us to show the brand of Filipino hospitality and service the hotel is known for to a wider and targeted audience,” he further added.

Visit Century Park Hotel’s Booth (J2) on July 15-16, 2023 from 10:00AM - 8:00PM.

Set the imagination free with new ASUS Vivobook Classic and Creator laptops

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ASUS announces today five new powerful additions to its Vivobook lineup – the ASUS Vivobook 15X OLED (K3504, M3504), ASUS Vivobook Go 15 OLED (E1504), ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED (T3304), and ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (K6604). These new Vivobook Classic and Creator laptops are designed to match the dynamic and always-on lifestyle of Gen Z, Generation Alpha, and those young at heart, built to entertain with stunning ASUS Lumina OLED displays, and engineered to handle any productivity and creativity tasks with high-end up to 13th Gen Intel Core H processor or AMD Ryzen 7000 series mobile processor. They are also made durably with a Military Grade badge and consciously with ASUS Antimicrobial Guard. Whether a student, young professional, work-from-home parent, or budding digital content creator, there's an ASUS Vivobook laptop that suits various needs.

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Powerful 15" and 16" laptops that can handle any productivity and 

creativity tasks with no limits

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Built to entertain, fueled to perform

The newest addition to the Vivobook Classic lineup provides an incredible visual experience with an ultrafast 120 Hz refresh rate for super-smooth motion visuals. The 15-inch 2.8K 16:9 HDR ASUS Lumina OLED display on ASUS Vivobook 15X OLED emits ultra-vivid images even at low brightness levels. For immersive entertainment, it features a powerful ASUS SonicMaster audio system — tuned in cooperation with the audio expertise of Dirac — that delivers the most immersive, clear, and balanced sound experience ever.

The all-new Vivobook 15X OLED, ideal for young professionals and entrepreneurs, is also equipped with up to the latest AMD Ryzen 7730U mobile processor or a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1255U CPU, up to 16GB of RAM, and an ultrafast 512GB PCIe SSD, making everyday work or entertainment tasks smoother.

This youthfully themed laptop features the classic Vivobook raised logo lid tab and the iconic warning-striped Enter key for a distinctive look. The ASUS Vivobook 15X OLED comes in Indie Black color and retails for a starting price of only PHP 45,995.

Stylish and tough even on the go

The light and compact ASUS Vivobook Go 15 OLED (E1504) features a superior 15-inch 16:9 FHD ASUS Lumina OLED display and robust ASUS SonicMaster sound systems with DTS Audio Processing for immersive entertainment. As ASUS’ most affordable OLED laptop yet, Vivobook Go 15 OLED is best for the modern Filipino family venturing to their first OLED laptop. Its design is stylish and practical, with thoughtful touches that make the user's life easier, such as a 180° lay-flat hinge. Its OLED display also emits 70% less harmful blue light that is safe for kids and adults alike.

Speedy performance for any task is assured by up to AMD Ryzen R5-7520U processors, 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 512 GB PCIe SSD. Excellent privacy is provided by the physical webcam shield, and there's a fingerprint sensor that allows one-touch login with Windows Hello.

The ASUS Vivobook Go 15 series comes in Mixed Black color and retails for a starting price of only PHP 29,995.

Super versatile all-arounder

With its vivacious styling and versatile design, the new-generation ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED (T3304) is a brilliant all-rounder. Its combination of a 13.3-inch OLED with Dolby Vision support Pantone Validated touchscreen and a quad-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system makes it the perfect choice for on-the-go entertainment. Whether in tablet, landscape stand, portrait stand, or laptop mode, users are guaranteed to enjoy everything, everywhere. Vivobook 13 Slate OLED can quickly transform from a parent's productivity device to a child's entertainment hub in a jiffy.

Creativity is a cinch with the handy ASUS Pen 2.0, an MPP 2.0-compliant stylus with 4096 pressure levels, four swappable tips, and convenient one-click Bluetooth functions via a shortcut button.

A speedy new eight-core Intel Core i3-N300 processor is faster, delivers better battery life than its predecessor, and is backed by a 256 GB PCIe SSD and up to 8 GB of fast LPDDR5 memory. The magnetically-attached ErgoSense keyboard, large touchpad, and cover stand make it endlessly adaptable to any situation. Users can enjoy easy connectivity via the dual USB-C ports, audio jack, and microSD card reader.

The ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED comes in 0° Black color and retails for only PHP 49,995.

Ultimate creative experience

Set that imagination free with the newest addition to the ASUS Creator series – ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED. Perfect for young creators, this laptop redefines the standard for creator laptops, with a desktop-grade of up to 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13980HX processor, a studio-grade NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, supplemented by its world's leading 16-inch 3.2K 16:10 120 Hz ASUS Lumina OLED display with Dolby Vision support. Creations on the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED are bound to look sharper as the OLED display is made more accurate with industry-standard Pantone Validated color rendering showing a wide range of colors with exceptional detail, more adaptive, giving users the liberty to customize their visual experience according to their preference, and more reliable with TÜV Rheinland low blue-light certification for eye protection during long viewing sessions and ASUS OLED Care for burn-in prevention.

This powerful creator-focused laptop has 32GB of fast DDR5 4800 MHz RAM, two upgradable SO-DIMM slots, and 1TB of ultrafast PCIe SSD storage to handle heavy work files and software without compromising efficiency. The Vivobook Pro 16X OLED also features a MUX Switch for an on-demand gaming performance boost and an upgraded solid ASUS IceCool Pro cooling system that allow the laptop to stay cool even when running multiple apps and safely unleash the full 150-watt CPU and GPU thermal design power.

The intuitive ASUS DialPad on the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED enhances how creators work during every part of their editing process. Create nonstop with its customizable macro controls for OS and third-party creative applications such as Adobe Apps.

The ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED comes in 0° Black, with free three months Adobe Creative Cloud subscription for every purchase, and has an SRP of only PHP 179,995. Its 15-inch brother, ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED, is also available in Quiet Blue and has a starting price of only PHP 54,995.

Designed for sustainability

ASUS' commitment to protecting the earth while delivering the best products to its users is reflected in the design of the new Vivobook models. The devices use 30% PCR plastics, and the packaging is now 100% recyclable. The energy consumption has been reduced to outperform the ENERGY STAR power-efficiency standard, and the devices meet the EPEAT Silver eco-label standard. In addition, the user's hygiene is protected by ASUS Antimicrobial Guard , which inhibits the growth of bacteria and viruses by 99% .

A longer laptop lifespan also reduces long-term waste, so the laptops are strictly tested to ensure their durability, using the latest MIL-STD-810H US military-grade standard, with up to 12 test methods and 26 individual tests — the industry's most stringent testing regime. These laptops also have two years ASUS International Warranty with Platinum Protection Warranty for the first year. Users can extend their warranty coverage with ASUS Premium Care and feel secure with ASUS' nine-step exclusive preventive maintenance program.

Where to buy

Now is the best time to grab an ASUS Vivobook laptop with ASUS Cool for School promo and get back-to-school bundles, like a Canon PIXMA printer and ASUS sustainable merch, to name a few. Catch the ASUS Cool for School Back-to-School Livestream on July 13, 2023, at 6 pm on ASUS Philippines and ASUS Republic of Gamers Facebook pages, and get a chance to win an ROG Phone 6 and more exciting prizes.

These new Vivobook laptops come with a free lifetime license to Office 2021 Home & Student. They are also available through ASUS' newest e-shop at www.asus.com/ph/store or ASUS Concept Stores and authorized resellers. Already got an ASUS Vivobook laptop? Share a review and get rewarded with PHP 200 GCash Credits through Your Voice Matters Campaign.

Philippine Airlines and Hip Hop International Philippines Team Up to Fuel Dance Passion and Celebrate Filipino Talent

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Philippine Airlines (PAL), the country's premier flag carrier, is proud to announce a partnership with Hip Hop International (HHI) Philippines, the official local affiliate and licensee of Hip Hop International. The PAL-HHI collaboration aims to showcase the rich arts and culture of the Philippines by providing an exciting platform for talented Filipino dancers to express their love and appreciation for their country.

Hip Hop International is globally recognized as the authority in Hip Hop and Street Dance, and is the organizer of the prestigious World Hip Hop Dance Championship to be held in United States of America (USA) in July – August 2023. HHI Philippines is responsible for selecting the Filipino delegates and representatives who will compete on the world stage at the Championship.

To celebrate this partnership and encourage participation from the talented dancers of the Philippines, PAL and HHI Philippines are launching the Pang-Ating Lahat Dance Challenge. This challenge invites previous winners of the 2023 Philippine Hip Hop International to create and share their original choreographed dance routines, showcasing their love for the Philippines. A submitted routine should be a maximum of 60 seconds and should incorporate Filipino-inspired music as well as convey positivity, love, and respect for Filipino culture and the Philippines as a destination.

Participating dancers are encouraged to join the challenge by posting their videos on TikTok, using the Pang Ating Lahat logo with the hashtags #PangAtingLahat, #flyPAL, #TeamPilipinas, and #HHIPH2023. Philippine Airlines will select four winners who will receive roundtrip tickets from Manila to Los Angeles between July to August 2023.

This PAL-HHI collaboration is a testament to PAL's commitment to promote the arts and culture of the Philippines. By supporting initiatives that highlight the talent and creativity of Filipinos, the flag carrier continues to foster national pride and showcase the beauty of the Philippines to a global audience.

“Together with Hip Hop International Philippines, Philippine Airlines celebrates the vibrant culture of the Philippines. We want to ignite a passion for OPM and dance, while showcasing the extraordinary talent of Filipino dancers. Our new partnership reaffirms our commitment to promoting local arts and culture on the global stage.” said Howard Lance Uyking, Assistant Vice President for Brand Management, Philippine Airlines.

Eligible participants who wish to take part in the challenge must submit their entries by July 12, 2023. The winners will be announced on July 14, 2023.

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About Philippine Airlines:

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines, operating flights to over 40 international destinations and more than 30 domestic destinations. With a proud history spanning over 80 years, PAL has been committed to providing world-class service and connecting the Philippines to the rest of the world. PAL is dedicated to promoting the country's cultural heritage and supporting initiatives that celebrate Filipino talent and creativity.

About Hip Hop International Philippines:

Hip Hop International Philippines is the official affiliate and licensee of Hip Hop International, the global authority in Hip Hop and Street Dance. Hip Hop International Philippines is responsible for organizing and selecting the Filipino delegates and representatives for the World Hip Hop Dance Championship, promoting the country's talent and excellence on the international stage.