TECHNOLOGY
Persistent threats in 2022: What to look out for next year
Posted on Nov. 24, 8:07 p.m.
Kaspersky researchers presented their vision of the future for advanced persistent threats (APTs), outlining how the threat landscape will change in 2022. Politicization playing an increasing role in cyberspace, the return of low-level attacks, an inflow of new APT actors, and a growth of supply chain attacks are some of the predictions outlined by the researchers.
The changes in the world in 2021 have a direct effect on the development of sophisticated attacks in the coming year. Building on trends that the Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) observed throughout 2021, the researchers have prepared a forecast to help the IT community prepare for the challenges ahead.
Private sector supporting an influx of new APT players
This year, the use of surveillance software developed by private vendors has come under the spotlight with Project Pegasus having reversed the perception of the likelihood of real-world zero-day attacks on iOS. We have also seen developers of advanced surveillance tools increasing their detection evasion and anti-analysis capabilities – as in the case of FinSpy – and using them in the wild – as was the case with the Slingshot framework.
The potential of commercial surveillance software – its access to large amounts of personal data and wider targets – makes it a lucrative business for those who supply it and an effective tool in the hands of threat actors. Therefore, Kaspersky experts believe that vendors of such software will diligently expand in cyberspace and provide their services to new advanced threat actors until governments begin to regulate its use.
Other targeted threat predictions for 2022 include:
- Mobile devices exposed to wide, sophisticated attacks. Mobile devices have always been a tidbit for attackers, with smartphones traveling along with their owners everywhere, and each potential target acting as a storage for a huge amount of valuable information. In 2021 we have seen more in-the-wild zero-day attacks on iOS than ever before. Unlike on a PC or Mac, where the user has the option of installing a security package, on iOS, such products are either curtailed or simply non-existent. This creates extraordinary opportunities for APTs.
- More supply-chain attacks. Kaspersky researchers paid particular attention to the frequency of cases in which cybercriminals exploited weaknesses in vendor security to compromise the company’s customers. Such attacks are particularly lucrative and valuable to attackers because they give access to a large number of potential targets. For this reason, supply chain attacks are expected to be on an upward trend into 2022.
- Continued exploitation of WFH. With remote work, cybercriminals will continue to use unprotected or unpatched employees’ home computers as a way to penetrate corporate networks. Social engineering to steal credentials and brute-force attacks on corporate services to gain access to weakly protected servers will continue.
- Increase in APT intrusions in the META region, especially in Africa. Geopolitical tensions in the region are increasing, which means cyber espionage is on the rise. Moreover, new defenses in the region are constantly improving and becoming more sophisticated. Taken together, these trends suggest that the main APT attacks in the META region will target Africa.
- Explosion of attacks against cloud security and outsourced services. Numerous businesses are incorporating cloud computing and software architectures based on microservices and running on third-party infrastructure, which is more susceptible to hacks. This makes more and more companies prime targets for sophisticated attacks in the coming year.
- The return of low-level attacks: bootkits are “hot” again. Owing to the increasing popularity of Secure Boot among desktop users, cybercriminals are forced to look for exploits or new vulnerabilities in this security mechanism to bypass its security system. Thus, growth in the number of bootkits is expected in 2022.
- States clarify their acceptable cyber-offense practices. There is a growing tendency for governments both to denounce cyber-attacks against them and at the same time conduct their own. Next year some countries will publish their taxonomy of cyber-offenses, distinguishing acceptable types of attack vectors.
“There are dozens of events happening every day that are changing the world of cyberspace. These changes are quite difficult to track, and even more difficult to foresee. Nevertheless, for several years now, based on the knowledge of our experts, we have been able to predict many future trends in the world of cybersecurity. We believe it is crucial to continue to track APT-related activities, evaluate the impact these targeted campaigns have, and share the insights we learn with the wider community. By sharing these predictions, we hope to help users to be better prepared for what the future holds for them in cyberspace,” says Ivan Kwiatkowski, senior security researcher at Kaspersky.
The APT predictions have been developed thanks to Kaspersky’s threat intelligence services used around the world. Read the full report on Securelist.
These predictions are a part of the Kaspersky Security Bulletin (KSB) – an annual predictions series and analytical articles on key changes in the world of cybersecurity. Click here to look at other KSB pieces.
To look back at what the Kaspersky experts expected to see in the advanced targeted threats landscape in 2020, please read our previous yearly report.
TECHNOLOGY
OPPO Reno16 Series 5G coming soon to capture every ‘barkada’ moment
7:11 a.m. July 26, 2026
Every barkada starts with a first. Your first spontaneous café hop with new college friends, your first weekend road trip together, or your first concert with people who soon become your favorite memories.
These shared experiences deserve more than a quick snapshot. They deserve photos everyone will want to save, share, and remember.
That’s why OPPO is bringing the OPPO Reno16 Series 5G to the Philippines. Built around its Pocket Studio imaging experience and the all-new OPPO Bubble with Camera Remote View, the upcoming smartphone is designed to help every barkada capture their first moments together without leaving anyone out of the story.
Professional-level imaging for every first barkada moment
The OPPO Reno16 Series 5G is designed to make everyday photography feel more effortless and expressive. At the heart of its Pocket Studio experience are a 200MP Main Camera, a 50MP Ultra-Wide Selfie Camera, and Dual View Video, giving users the tools to capture group adventures, everyday moments, and creative content with professional-quality results.
So whatever moment you are capturing, be it a barkada food crawl, a weekend getaway, or your first day on campus, the OPPO Reno16 Series 5G is designed to make memorable group photos easier to create than ever.
A smarter way to get everyone into the shot
One of the biggest challenges of group photography is making sure everyone, including the person behind the camera, gets to be in the shot.
The OPPO Reno16 Series 5G introduces OPPO Bubble with Camera Remote View, a first-of-its-kind innovation from a smartphone brand that reimagines the way people take group photos together. Working wirelessly with compatible OPPO devices, OPPO Bubble lets users preview the OPPO Reno16 Series 5G camera frame from another device and remotely trigger the shutter, making it easier to capture group shots without rushing back and forth to beat a timer.
It also opens up new possibilities for selfies and groufies by allowing users to take advantage of the OPPO Reno16 Series 5G’s powerful rear camera system while still seeing exactly how the shot is framed. Whether you’re taking a family portrait, gathering your barkada for a travel photo, or documenting a concert or special celebration, OPPO Bubble transforms the way shared moments are captured, making professional-looking group shots easier, smarter, and more inclusive than ever before.
Designed for today’s generation of creators
Designed for today’s on-the-go creators, the OPPO Reno16 Series 5G combines a sleek, premium design with advanced camera hardware and intelligent creative tools. Together with OPPO Bubble with Camera Remote View, it is designed to make group photography and collaborative content more intuitive, whether users are meeting friends at a café, traveling with their barkada, or documenting a concert or celebration, all while delivering professional-looking results without relying on a complicated camera setup.
Because every first barkada moment deserves to be remembered.
The OPPO Reno16 Series 5G is arriving soon in the Philippines, bringing its Pocket Studio imaging experience and OPPO Bubble with Camera Remote View to help users capture every first barkada moment together.
Visit the nearest OPPO store to check it out yourself. For more details about the OPPO Reno16 Series 5G, visit OPPO Philippines’ official website at www.oppo.com/ph/ or OPPO Philippines’ official social media pages on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok for more updates and be among the first to discover the next evolution of smartphone photography.
TECHNOLOGY
Alibaba Cloud unveils Agent-Native Innovations at WAIC 2026
12:19 p.m. July 22, 2026
At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026, Alibaba Cloud introduced a suite of agent-native technologies aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of AI agents across industries.
Key announcements include the Agent-Native Cloud suite, designed to govern, optimize, and orchestrate multi-agent workflows while improving large-model inference efficiency. The company also expanded its open-source efforts with the release of the T-Head SAIL software stack, alongside new products such as the team version of its AI development tool Meoo and its first Qwen-powered earbuds, Qwen Clip.
These updates reflect Alibaba Cloud’s continued focus on building a full-stack AI ecosystem spanning silicon, infrastructure, platforms, and applications.
Alibaba unveiled the Qwen 3.8-Max-Preview on its Token Plan, Qoder, and QoderWork platforms. Boasting 2.4 trillion parameters, the model delivers impressive performance comparable to leading frontier AI models, with initial tests ranking it second only to Fable 5. The company has also announced the Qwen 3.8-Max will be open weight soon.
Cloud Infrastructure: From AI-Native to Agent-Native
Alibaba Cloud is advancing toward an agent-native architecture, providing a managed environment for building, deploying, and operating autonomous AI agents.
At WAIC, the company introduced two new products—AgentLoop and AgentTeams—expanding its existing AgentRun platform. Together, these offerings support the full lifecycle of enterprise AI agents, with built-in governance and control.
AgentLoop enables real-time tracing, evaluation, and optimization of agent performance. AgentTeams supports coordination and governance across multiple agents, allowing organizations to manage complex workflows. AgentRun provides lifecycle management, covering development, deployment, and operations.
Alibaba Cloud also introduced TokenWorks within its Platform for AI (PAI), available through PAI-EAS. The new service integrates request routing, inference execution, compute reuse, and scheduling into a single system, helping improve performance, reduce costs, and increase reliability for large-model inferences.
TECHNOLOGY
Peace of mind for busy pet parents: Xiaomi Smart Ecosystem keeps your pets safe, nourished
7:29 p.m. July 16, 2026
For most Filipino households, pets are (rightfully) considered full-fledged family members. Owners aren’t just owners anymore; they’re fur-parents now, they call pets their “fur-babies,” celebrate their birthdays, and worry about them constantly when we are away—just like real parents do and should.
But as the world moves faster and we find ourselves balancing office days, social lives, and daily errands, maintaining a flawless pet care routine can feel like a precarious tightrope walk. Are they eating on time? Are they drinking enough water? Is the house smelling a little too much like a pet sanctuary?
Fortunately for many Filipino fur-parents, raising a healthy, happy pet doesn’t have to conflict with a busy modern lifestyle. In the digital age, smart home technology is stepping up to bridge the gap, helping them provide consistent, reliable, and loving care even when they are miles away from home.
For those who need help keeping pets loved and well-maintained at home, Xiaomi’s got solutions that can completely transform your daily pet care routine, offering you peace of mind and your pet a healthier, more comfortable life.
1. Mealtime, Always on Time
One of the biggest anxieties of leaving the house is missing mealtime, and the Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder 2 takes the guesswork and worry out of the equation.
This smart feeder allows you to schedule precise portions at specific times through your phone. Whether you are stuck in traffic or working late on a project, your pet’s feeding schedule remains completely uninterrupted. Plus, with its sealed design, every bowl of kibble stays as fresh and crunchy as the moment you opened the bag.
2. Encouraging Healthy Hydration
Just like humans, pets need constant access to clean water to prevent urinary tract issues—a common concern for both cat and dog owners alike.
The Xiaomi Smart Pet Fountain 2 solves this by mimicking the flowing natural streams that animals instinctively love. With its multi-stage filtration system, it ensures your pet always has access to fresh, oxygen-rich running water. It operates quietly in the background, making sure your pet stays hydrated throughout the day without interrupting your focus.
3. A Breath of Fresh Air for Everyone
Living with pets often means living with pet hair, dander, and those unmistakable “pet odors.” While most fur-parents have gotten used to the different kind of air at home, that doesn’t mean it’s always healthy.
To keep your indoor air clean and healthy for both you and your fur-baby, the Xiaomi Smart Pet Care Air Purifier is a household game-changer. Specially optimized for pet-owning homes, it quickly captures floating pet hair and neutralizes common pet odors, ensuring your living space always smells fresh, clean, and welcoming.
4. Keeping a Loving Eye from Afar
Even when all their physical needs are met, you’ll still miss your pets when you’re out—that’s just the ruff reality of being a fur-parent.
For clingy parents and babies, the Xiaomi Smart Camera C701 Pro helps you stay connected. With its advanced pet detection feature, the camera can intelligently recognize when your pet is active or moving around the room. Instead of constantly monitoring a live stream, you will receive a handy notification whenever your pet does something cute, letting you check in, say a quick hello, and smile during a busy workday.
The Ultimate Peace of Mind
At the end of the day, technology is here to help us give our pets the love they deserve more consistently—and with it, the peace of mind we need in knowing that they are happy and healthy.
By automating the essentials and keeping us connected, Xiaomi’s smart pet ecosystem ensures that your fur-babies are always cared for, healthy, and safe, giving busy pet parents the ultimate gift: peace of mind.
Ready to upgrade your pet parenting game? Explore the Xiaomi Smart Pet Care lineup today. Find them at your nearest official Xiaomi offline store, or shop online via Shopee, Lazada, and Xiaomi Online Store.
OPPO Reno16 Series 5G coming soon to capture every ‘barkada’ moment
101 free HONOR gadgets! No follow needed
Alibaba Cloud unveils Agent-Native Innovations at WAIC 2026
