Laos is often considered a must-visit destination of Southeast Asia these days for its unique and enchanting charms. While visitors enjoy the many smiles and natural wonders, during the Fall our thoughts often turn to thoughts of the supernatural thanks to local festivals and Halloween traditions that have become popular since the 20th century.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 31 October 2022 –TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) GT Cup ASIA 2022 ended on an exhilarating note on Saturday, 29 October 2022. E-motorsports enthusiasts witnessed 20 local qualifiers – from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea – pit their dexterity and superb driving skills against one another as they battled for the crown of the regional championship title and for a spot in the Global Finals.
Going against each other right from the start in the Regional Semi-Finals Group A, also known as the Group of Death, Andika Rama M. (Indonesia) dominated the race with his superb driving skills as he topped Group A while defending champion Nathayos Sirigaya (Thailand) finished the in second place.
Overall, reigning champion N. Sirigaya retained his title with 74 points and emerged as the TGR GT Cup ASIA 2022 Regional Champion. A Rama M. came in second with 71 points, just 3 points behind N. Sirigaya. With the tough competition this year, last year’s first runner-up, Y.T. Chou only managed to claim victory in the last round of the Final race as he held his leading position throughout five laps, fending off other finalists who raced closely behind him, including defending champion N. Sirigaya. As the top two racers for this year’s Regional Finals, both N. Sirigaya and A. Rama M. will represent Asia in the TGR GT Cup Global Finals in November, competing against other top e-Motorsport racers from around the world.
“When I started the final race in fourth position, I thought it was over at first and didn’t think I could win the championship especially after I saw Taj Aiman pulling away and when I was overtaken by Andika Rama in the first half of the race. But I stayed calm and continued to push hard for the win, so I am very happy that I am able to win the championship again,” N. Sirigaya enthused, upon reflecting on his journey towards victory. “It has been a thrilling experience racing alongside some of the best e-Motorsport racers in Asia. I am grateful to be crowned the TGR GT Cup ASIA champion again and I am thankful to Toyota for providing me with a platform to pursue my passion in e-Motorsports. Right now, my focus is to do better in this year’s Global Finals.”
Aside from the enhanced line-up of powerful race cars within the new GT 7 platform and newly introduced race conditions, the third season of the TGR GT Cup ASIA 2022 also underscores Toyota’s commitment to making e-motorsports accessible across generations, by enabling racing enthusiasts from around the region to experience the thrill and joy of racing Toyota GR cars on iconic circuits. Fans and participants were also treated to a visual feast of fascinating livery designs inspired by local cultures from Asia-based artists such as India-based Graphic Designer Muhammed Sajid and Filipino Illustrator and 3D Artist Nez Yumul.
“We are once again heartened by the immense support for the third edition of the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup ASIA. All racers displayed impeccable skills and put up a good fight on the grueling racetracks. We hope that E-motorsports fans were thoroughly entertained, especially with the improved line-up of cars and race conditions as well as the myriad of livery designs that was displayed during the competition,” said Giri Venkatesh, Acting Vice President at Toyota Motor Asia Pacific. “Well done to all racers and we wish N. Sirigaya and A. Rama M. all the best in the Global Finals.”
N. Sirigaya and A. Rama M. will represent Asia and race against some of the world’s best e-Motorsport racers in the TGR GT Global Finals slated for November.
TGR GT Cup ASIA 2022 – Highlights of the Regional Finals
The battle for the Regional Championship kickstarted with a Regional Semi-Finals Race, where 20 local qualifiers competed within their allocated groups and raced on the Fuji International Speedway in GR Yaris race cars. In Group A, racing down Fuji International Speedway circuit was a strong contender for this year’s regional championship. A. Rama M. led the race right from the start and eventually took victory, with N. Sirigaya trailing right behind in second place. Although Iqbal Suji (Malaysia) started off in pole position for Group B, he was unable to hold on to his lead as Pradana Yogatama (Indonesia) overtook him on the first turn on lap 9. The latter eventually came up top in Group B, with I. Suji coming in second and N. Sirigaya’s teammate Thanaphat Pungphat (Thailand) coming in third. For Group C, Taj Aiman (Malaysia) earned first place.
The top five racers from each group in the semi-final round proceeded to the final race, which featured three thrilling racetracks that further challenged the racers’ ability and driving skills.
After an exhilarating first three semi-final races, the final race delivered an equally nerve-wrecking and intense battle across three rounds for the top 15 finalists – starting with the Circuit De Barcelona-Catalunya in the GR Supra 20 for round one, followed by a wet weather race at the Nürburgring GP in the GR Supra Race car for round two and culminating in the iconic Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe with the powerful 952-horsepower TS GR010 Hypercar in round three. In round one, viewers were treated to a spectacular drive by N. Sirigaya who capitalized on Moreno Pratama’s (Indonesia) mistake to take the lead on Lap three. Despite starting at the top of the grid, M. Pratama was unable to secure a seat on the podium with N. Sirigaya holding on for a victory in round one, while T. Aiman and M. Pratama finished second and third respectively.
In the second round, on the final lap, there was a close fight for first place between I. Suji and N. Sirigaya with A. Rama M. and T. Aiman battling it out for third position. Although N. Sirigaya continued to pile pressure on I. Suji throughout the race, wet weather expert I. Suji managed to fend off N. Sirigaya and edged him out for the win. In the final round, Y.T. Chou found himself back in the leading position to claim victory for the final race while defending champion N. Sirigaya fought hard to clinch third place in the final lap, sealing his championship title and pipping second place A. Rama M. to the title by just three points.
As with 2021’s edition, prizes were also awarded to the top three country teams and the top three racers. Team Malaysia took home the winning team honour with 120 points, followed by Team Indonesia in second place with 110 points, and Team Thailand in third place with 104 points.
To re-watch the Regional Finals for TGR GT Cup ASIA 2022, please click here.
Hashtag: #ToyotaMotorAsiaPacific
About the TGR GT Cup ASIA 2022
TGR GT Cup ASIA 2022 is the regional online race, which will bring together the top Sim racers from each of the participating countries in Asia to pit their skills against each other.
Players will race in “Gran Turismo 7” on their PlayStation®4*1 (PS4®) or PlayStation®5*1 (PS5®) in a selected Toyota GR line-up. Global qualifying races will be held from May to August 2022, with the top Sim racers coming together in the final championship showdown in the Global Finals of TGR GT Cup 2022in November.
Under the global vision of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, e-Motorsports has evolved to be one of the key pillars of TGR motorsport activities and is an exclusive platform to engage with the increasing motorsport-lovers around the world.
About TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR)
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) is TOYOTA’s racing company where motorsports activities are a key pursuit of product development. Its ethos builds on a heritage of more than 60 years in excellence in “making ever-better cars”. With this aim, the company takes into account feedback and learnings gained on tough racing roads under harsh environments to create thrill and joy of racing Toyota GR cars for everyone.
About Toyota Motor Asia Pacific
Toyota Motor Asia Pacific [TMAP] is incorporated in Singapore and is the regional corporate headquarters and subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. TMAP leads and supports the Asia Pacific region in sales and marketing activities, service parts, accessories and customer services, thus contributing to the overall development of auto industry and the growing economies in the region.
Toyota envisions the future mobility society to bring freedom of movement to all. Moving forward, Toyota will provide a diverse range of mobility services and transportation solutions to people around the world as we transform Toyota into a mobility company.
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha (left) and Lao PM Phankham Viphavanh on Friday
Lao Prime Minister, Phankham Viphavanh and his Thai counterpart, Prayut Chan-o-cha agree that more bridges are required to link their respective countries across the Mekong river.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 31 October 2022 – Skywealth Financial Group announces the launch of a real estate fund, mainly investing in the Southeast Asian market. With the Hang Seng Index plummeting from 20,000 to 16,000, it is inevitable that the market raises concerns about a potential prolonged and devastating economic recession due to the epidemic. That said, the economy has yet to enter a hopeless territory on a macroscopic level. On one side, the Strong Dollar could be leveraged to capture exchange rate spreads by investing in other currencies. On the other side, triggered by the intensifying food and energy crises, inflation creates a huge room for appreciation of tangible assets. More importantly, amid the stock market downturn with rising interest rates, loads of high-quality land has been sold at discount, which is a great opportunity for investors to turn to the real estate market — high-yield real estate has also become the focus.
Ho Chun Lung, Founding Partner and Chairman of Skywealth Financial Group (Left), Kwok Chiu Ting, CEO of Skywealth Financial Group (Right)
Skywealth Financial Group‘s strategic investment in the Southeast Asian real estate market
In the context of interest rate hikes globally, investment strategies in real estate urge for a change— acquiring discounted real estate projects for development and selling properties in the future rate cut cycle to benefit from exchange rate and property appreciation. The Group will invest in markets such as Vietnam, Japan, Cambodia and Hong Kong. Kwok Chiu Ting, CEO of Skywealth Financial Group, mentioned: “We are optimistic about the real estate development in the future and target investment in discounted land in prime locations, residential property development, etc. Shareholders of the Group have profound real estate development experience, real estate network and unique financial market analysis, to create excellent investment opportunities and returns albeit the economic downturn. While major factories are relocating to Southeast Asian countries, the property price level and per capita income of Southeast Asian countries are also rising, which has performed well in the past few years. Many citizens didn’t realize that a large number of developers had eyed on the Southeast Asian markets until media reported Li Ka-shing’s investment in Vietnam real estate.”
Regarding the recent negative news in Southeast Asia, Kwok replied, “Southeast Asian countries are experiencing rapid economic growth like China’s economic reform period. Influx of large amount of foreign capital not only promotes the local economy, but also exacerbates local criminal activities. Therefore, political stability is particularly important. ” Considering countries worthy of long-term investment, the Group is optimistic about the potential growth in Vietnam and Cambodia. Vietnam’s stock market volume has surpassed that of Singapore. Many funds that once focused on China have also moved to Vietnam industries and stock market. Vietnam is expected to become the next world factory. The public lack a deep understanding of Cambodia. Cambodian Hun Sen is the longest-term prime minister among Southeast Asian countries and the political situation is relatively stable. Also, Cambodia is the only country in Southeast Asia that uses US dollar. Since Cambodia is not binded the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), a considerable amount of foreign investment is flooding into the country in recent years. The acceleration in property prices has been higher than that of Hong Kong in the past ten years, yet it is still relatively low in Southeast Asia. Hence we should instead, take advantage of the negative news to buy the dip. Only when the clouds and mists are cleared will we finally see the Sun. Only when we not go with the flow will the relics be unearthed.
Hashtag: #SkywealthFinancialGroup
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Skywealth Financial Group: one-stop financial service platform
Founded in 2018, Skywealth Financial Group is a financial services group focusing on capital markets. The overall business development is extremely diversified, covering three main areas, with 1) financial media; 2) real estate fund investment, which is also a key development business; and 3) pre-IPO investment and financing. The business scope includes real estate development, fund management, mergers and acquisitions of pre-listed companies, investment consulting, financial public relations, and financial media. The Group holds SFC Type 4 and 9 licenses. Major shareholders include Ho Chun Lung, Hon Fung, Geng Guohua, Han Junran, Wu Pak Kit and Kwok Chiu Ting, and their key management members are from listed companies and senior figures in the financial services industry. Rooted in Hong Kong with the principle of “strengthening and making good use of the capitals”, Skywealth Financial Group makes good use of resources to achieve the goal of strengthening the fundamentals, and promote enterprise development, through our financial platform with a wide range of financial services for global Chinese, including asset management, pre-IPO investment, offshore financing, listed financial public relations, media and investor education one-stop business.
Skywealth Financial Group’s fund products include pre-IPO investment funds, real estate development funds, project investment funds and market value discovery funds. Our overseas asset management legally establishes funds for state-owned or private enterprises to enter the mainland/Hong Kong through the quota of qualified domestic and foreign investors to invest in the secondary market or other investments. We also provide financing planning to assist mainland local governments, state-owned enterprises and private enterprises in promoting overseas bond issuance and realizing the exponential multiplication of the value of investment projects.
Ho Chun Lung, founding partner and chairman of Skywealth Financial Group, said, “Real estate is a stable investment in the past and in the future. The public often fail to seize the best time or lose money on exchange rates despite their experience in investing in real estate. I believe our team is better positioned in analysing and investing in the real estate market. When market fears, it is the golden time to seize discounted prime land.”
Looking forward, the Group expects that once the interest rate cut cycle begins, the Southeast Asian real estate market will illustrate the trend of the past golden ten years of China’s real estate, bringing huge returns to investors.
Dreame Technology aims to help achieve a cleaner household in minutes by incorporating advanced technology. Ideal for all homeowners who are struggling in maintaining their homes.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 31 October 2022 – Dasher is the exclusive retailer for Dreame Technology that will be launching one of the newest vacuum cleaner in the market, Dreame H12 Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner. With new innovative ways to clean, this new vacuum cleaner model is an essential for home-owners, especially new parents and pet-owners who are struggling with messy homes. Users with daily tight schedules might find this product beneficial to help keep one’s home tidy within minutes.
Over the years, smart technology has helped to make cleaning easier. Recognising the benefits of this innovation, Dasher introduced Dreame Technology as part of its collection of smart home appliances. A company that has grown into a technology leader—pioneering a series of innovative advancements including high-speed motors and multi-cone cyclone separation technology. This innovative spirit has established them as a trailblazer in vacuum and robot vacuum technology. They have been equipping homes with vacuum cleaners that makes cleaning efficient. A vacuum cleaner is not just a household appliance, it is an investment that should have the ability to make chores easier and more comfortable by cutting cleaning time in half or maybe less.
Dual-Edge Cleaning Brush
With an upgraded dual-edge cleaning brush, H12 Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner is effective in cleaning areas that are hard to reach —cleaning close to baseboards and deep into corners. If home owners are facing challenges to keep corners and spaces in between furniture clean, this product is built to be able to tidy up these mess in minutes. Whether it’s for thorough cleaning or just a quick tidying up, this product can help make cleaning more efficient. It is built for simultaneous vacuuming, mopping, and removing dirt, grime, spills, and other tough hard floor messes.
Automatic Hot Air Drying
Dreame Technology holds its pride in being the first in the market with this unique feature. Unlike other vacuum cleaners’ brush that takes a long time to dry, H12 Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner is equipped with hot air-drying setting that dries the brush in just 90 minutes after self-cleaning. This does not only reduce the drying time, but also helps prevent mildew, mould, and unpleasant odour. This also helps to save time and make the next cleaning cycle more convenient.
Dual-Rotation Self-Cleaning
A self-cleaning feature is available for the vacuum to maintain hygiene as it cleans the floor, which allows the homeowners to spend less time cleaning. This feature ensures that the brush is thoroughly cleansed before every cleaning cycle. Just simply put the vacuum cleaner on the base and press the button on top of the handle— it rinses the brush, which then rotates until it’s clean.
Other Features Include:
● Higher Battery Life of 6x 4,000mAh for uninterrupted cleaning ● Smart Dirt Detection that adjusts the vacuum cleaner suction ● Equipped with a 900mL for longer cleaning time ● Powerful Traction for cleaning with minimal efforts ● Lightweight and Ergonomic Design for convenience ● Low Noise for non-disruptive cleaning ● Wet and Dry Cleaning ● Electrolyte Water Cleaning for eliminating bacteria
In addition to providing a better user experience, the vacuum cleaner has a large LED display and intelligent voice prompts that lets a user know in real-time how to optimize cleaning. It is also equipped with three modes for versatile cleaning: auto mode that adjusts automatically, ultra mode for deep cleaning, and a suction mode that vacuums liquids without the need of mopping.
Dasher Singapore will be launching Dreame H12 Pro Vacuum Cleaner on 11 November 2022 retailing at S$649. It will be available on Dasher’s site, Lazada, and Shopee. For more information regarding this product, visit https://dasher.sg/. Hashtag: #Dasher
About the company
Dasher Singapore was founded in 2020 by a group of driven teenagers who believed that E-Commerce would set the trend for future online purchasing. Dasher strives to innovate the workflow with this goal in mind in order to provide a unique online shopping experience. Dreame Technology is one of the many brands carried by the company. It was founded in 2015 as a global leading technology company specializing in high-end cleaning appliances. Its mission is to “improve the living standards of global users.” Their primary focus is on high-end cleaning appliances that use astrodynamics technologies. Dreame joined the Xiaomi Ecological Chain at the end of 2017 as the driving force and leading enterprise of smart household cleaning appliances.
Feast at more than 200 restaurants with menus up to 30% off in a showcase of the city’s dining scene
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 31 October 2022 – DiningCity cordially invites Hong Kong’s food lovers to CHILL EATS, part of Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival 2022 and supported by Hong Kong Tourism Board. From 1 November to 30 November 2022, the programme offers the diners a memorable journey within four pillars that trace the trends of the city’s dining scene, offering over 200 restaurants with selected menus up to 30% off.
The four trend pillars of CHILL EATS Exploring new trends, discovering the vibrancy and dynamism of Hong Kong’s dining scene
Through four distinct pillars, CHILL EATS aims to showcase Hong Kong’s dining trends in 2022.
New in the City
Food lovers in Hong Kong are always seeking new experiences – it’s why gourmet food abounds and famous chefs flock to start up business here. Unique new restaurants continue to open up in the city despite the impact of the pandemic. Mr. Kent Wong, founder of Taste Gourmet Group, explains “Hong Kong has gone through dark days in recent years and everyone has a need for optimism. For the hospitality industry, hit hard by closures and health regulations, hope for what comes next is what is sustaining the sector.”
“New in the City” engaged the restaurants newly opened in 2021 and 2022 to bring new dining experience to the diners.
Taste Gourmet Group has come together to create concepts and brands that honour the desire to live in the moment and the understanding that all things, good and bad, pass with time. Their recent brands, Que and San-Kinn mirror this concept. “I firmly trust that our food & beverage sector will flourish again in no time given the diversity, vibrancy and multi-cultural society in Hong Kong,” said Mr. Wong.
In the Open Air
After spending hours cooped up indoors, many diners are looking for a breath of fresh air and a laid-back atmosphere. “In the Open Air” highlights spaces and offers the pleasure of the outdoors such as Pirata Group’s venues.
“More than just the basics of good food, good service and good value for money, we’ve seen guests gravitate toward restaurants that convey a sense of wellbeing,” said James Gannaban, Director of Marketing & Communications at Pirata Group. “Of the 14 restaurants we opened in the last two years, the most popular are the ones with access to open spaces – be it pizza and Aperol spritz on a sidewalk, to freshly baked pastries at the seaside, to a full-on classical Italian garden surrounded by lemon trees. It’s all about simple, accessible pleasures that provide a quick escape and a hit of holiday vibes.”
Feast Your Eyes
Apart from delicious food, “Feast Your Eyes” features show-stopping presentation and restaurant design that catches diners’ eyes.
“Dining out is not just about food and service. Guests nowadays have a lot of knowledge and high expectations. We need to keep the bar high in order to stay on top of our game,” said Alex Bellafronte, Operations Director, Asia of Aqua Restaurant Group. “Dining is an immersive experience, where all views, design, atmosphere, lighting and music play an incredibly important role to elevate our guest’s journey.”
Taste Travel
“Taste Travel” takes diners around the world and through culinary foodways. It’s a showcase of the diverse range of cuisines in Asia’s culinary capital, encompassing the popular Italian, French, Japanese and Cantonese cuisines alongside less mentioned ones such as Peruvian, Scandinavian or Argentinian fares.
Andrew Yang, Rosewood Hong Kong’s Director of Food and Beverage, agreed industry players must go the extra mile in formulating unique restaurant concepts from regional cuisines. “The hospitality industry has changed over the years, it’s not just about delivering great service anymore,” said Yang, “At Rosewood Hong Kong we think outside the box to create unique concepts so that each outlet is differentiated from the competition, and we work closely with different brands and beverage partners to present one-of-a-kind experiences our guests can only find here.”
CHILL EATS Citywide Dining Programme
Diners can book more than 200 participating restaurants and enjoy menu discounts up to 30% off. Menus are divided into four price categories:
Category 1:Lunch Set HK$128 up / Dinner Set HK$288 up Category 2:Lunch Set HK$188 up / Dinner Set HK$388 up Category 3:Lunch Set HK$238 up / Dinner Set HK$488 up Category 4:Lunch Set HK$368 up / Dinner Set HK$688 up
Log on to programme website (chilleats.diningcity.hk/lang/en) or DiningCity app (available on App Store and Google Play) for real-time reservation.
Restaurant Highlights: Looking for a new attitude and new dimension for food lovers
“New in the City”
A Lux A Lux, a high-end Italian French restaurant, opened in February 2022 during a dark time for the F&B industry. It is situated in a quieter corner of the bustling city – Duddell Street in Central, a street full of history – allowing guests to dine comfortably under the warm lights outside the restaurant.
In addition, over 30 new restaurants are featured in “New in the City”, include Tirpse, whose team achieved the quickest Michelin star in their Tokyo venue; the 5-in-one Japanese dining concept Five Samurai; off-the-beaten track Japanese izakaya ToriHachi and the artsy café Sooner.
“In the Open Air”
Pondside Pondside is a European-style lakeside restaurant, located at Admiralty’s Hong Kong Park. Facing the stone cliff waterfall and lakeside view, enjoy your meal under sun rays and swaying shadows of trees. Relax and unwind in the outdoor area surrounded by palm trees, resembling an oasis in the City.
In total, “In the Open Air” includes more than 40 restaurants, such asHEXA with panoramic Victoria Harbour views; the popular restaurant Billow at Lake Egret; Madame Fu overlooking Tai Kwun’s Parade Ground, Italian-style al fresco seating of Gaia Ristorante and Cabana Breeze, perfect for sunset viewing.
“Feast Your Eyes”
Monmono Monmono is located in trendy SOHO and between two cultural landmarks – Tai Kwun and PMQ. Adhering to the concept of “simple but not monotonous”, the whole restaurant utilizes “Sizzling Sunrise”, a yellow colour as its main theme, complementing the chef’s Japanese-French cooking. The immersive interior exudes a pleasant atmosphere, and the layout’s twist and turns make for interesting photo opportunities.
There are more than 50 restaurants in “Feast Your Eyes”, including Hutong, which combines traditional alley design and intoxicating night views, the exquisite hot pot restaurant Victorian Era and the Instagrammer-favourite OMG.
“Taste Travel”
UMI on Hollywood Road UMI offers discerning eaters a traditional Edomae Sushi experience in a sophisticated yet relaxed setting. After entering from the independent entrance on Hollywood Road, diners are taken to an intimate space to experience the Japanese chef’s dedication to tradition and craftsmanship, hoping to make guests feel like they are in a sushi bar in Ginza, Tokyo.
There are more than 60 restaurants featured in Taste Travel, including Giando Italian Restaurant & Bar, French bistro-style Maison ES, traditional Taiwanese Hot Pot; and FINDS, one of only a few Scandinavian restaurants in Hong Kong.Hashtag: #ChillEats #HongKongWine&DineFestival #WineandDine #Wine&Dine #DiscoverHongKong #DiningCity #DiningPromotion #CasualDining #FineDining #HKRestaurants #NewIntheCity #IntheOpenAir #FeastYourEyes #TasteTravel #hkfood #hkrestaurants
About DiningCity
DiningCity, an online bilingual guide and instant reservation service for premium restaurants, launched its Asian edition first in Singapore as early as 2007 and initiated official websites for Hong Kong and Mainland China in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
DiningCity offers restaurant listings, introductions, reviews, pictures and the ability to make instant reservations for its users. Its platform and app also offer instant discounts off the food bill through its Off-peak feature and rewards loyal users with welcome drinks and window seat priority.
DiningCity lists over 55,000 well-selected member restaurants with more than 1000 instantly bookable member restaurants in Greater China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 29 October 2022 – HACOOL, a leading global consumer internet company, will invest 1 trillion rupiahs to subsidize Indonesian market, offering 15% discount on all products from high-quality supply chain.
Since entering the Indonesian e-commerce market, HACOOL turned technical barriers into opportunities. It provides more convenient sales channels for more than 20 million small and medium-sized enterprises in Indonesia. The diversification of the platform allows more people who want to start a business to choose HACOOL and settle in HACOOL.With HACOOL’s excellent operation system and sufficient supply chain, more people can open online stores, which in turn creates more jobs for Indonesians..
With a brand-new business philosophy, HACOOL is committed to creating “Rich products cheaper than supermarkets” and “Fast service for same-day purchases“. HACOOL Mall strives to provide Indonesian consumers with a variety of products and prices, low-cost delivery, and fast logistics.
At HACOOL, you can easily buy world-renowned products, selected brands, 100% original, 15 days return, at only 3 days delivery. HACOOL covers electronic products, furniture, sports, health, beauty, cosmetics, bags, fashion, headscarves, maternal and child products, footwear, beans, auto products, pet products, milk, etc., At HACOOL, users can enjoy shopping at home.
During the 11.11 2022, HACOOL will also bring some initiatives aimed at building a greener 11.11. HACOOL improved the labeling of low-carbon products ranging from clothing to cosmetics on the platform, allowing consumers to identify low-carbon products on the platform and check their environmental impact.
HACOOL works with more than 40 big brands to promote low-carbon products. Hundreds of small and medium-sized brands on HACOOL are now providing consumers with sustainable shopping bags for free. The platform also showcases a cross bag that is made from six recycled PET plastic bottles to reduce environmental impact.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 28 October 2022 – Everyone has a friend who has been subject to account takeover attack. With 24 billion exposed accounts available online, this type of identity theft is now rampant in the digital domain. This article from OctaFX security experts explores the nature of account takeover attacks and advises on how to protect yourself from them.
A recent research by Digital Shadows showed that more than 24 billion exposed credential pairings are available for sale online. That is a 65 per cent increase from 2020, probably due to more sophisticated malware and social engineering, as well as improved credential sharing.
With passwords such as ‘123456’ still accounting for more than one hundred million exposed cases, account takeovers are bound to continue. However, there are ways to avoid them, which we will cover later in the article. First, let’s consider whether account takeover (ATO) is something that everyone really has to worry about.
Account takeover: how it happens
The ATO attacks are somewhat similar to burglary. Fraudsters or hackers either crack your password using special software—just as burglars do to open the doors of a building—or get it from you through social engineering and dedicated malware. Then they make it impossible for you to log into your account by changing the password. Unlike the case with burglars, you can lose all your sensitive information, as well as your money, at once. After online fraudsters take all they want from your accounts, they might sell it on the dark web as part of a database consisting of such accounts.
There are several most common types of account takeover attacks carried out to steal your credentials:
Social engineering. These types of attacks typically use phishing emails from a service or organisation you are expected to trust, such as your bank, a broker, or a payment system. This email attempts to steal your personal information, including logins and passwords. Social engineers might also call you (that’s called vishing) and pretend to be bank representatives or customer service workers of some of the services you use. Then they attempt to trick you into giving them your login credentials or other sensitive information.
Malware. It’s easy to download malware accidentally. It may look just like another message from a client with an attached file, or as a file of a book you wanted to read so much. However, if you open it, there’s almost no way back—the program can encrypt all the files on your computer and block your system. The only way to decrypt the files and unblock the system is typically a hefty ransom.
Automated attacks. This type of ATO attack involves brute-forcing passwords, credential stuffing, where credentials obtained from an attack on one service are used for logging into other services, and password spraying, where a few common passwords are used for logging into different accounts.
Cyber attacks. Hackers might exploit vulnerabilities in applications and sites to obtain their user databases with logins and passwords. Then they either sell the databases on the dark web or try to use them themselves.
Five tips from OctaFX on how to protect your accounts from takeover
The OctaFX security experts have come up with several important rules that every internet user must follow to protect their accounts from cyber attacks:
Always use strong passwords. Many strong passwords. Ideally, let each of your accounts have its own password. For critical accounts, create passwords longer than ten characters, with combinations of upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. Use password managers, such as KeePass, to store your passwords.
Use MFA (multi-factor authentication), such as 2FA (two-factor authentication), to confirm your identity via email notification, smartphone, PIN, fingerprints, or facial recognition. An alternative to MFA is an authenticator app, which generates random six-digit codes every thirty seconds that you must enter when trying to log into your account.
Don’t use your work email address for personal use. Preferably, use multiple personal email addresses.
Don’t save your bank cards with any online store. When buying something on the internet, make sure the site you are using is reliable and secure.
Don’t use public Wi-Fi or any other public network when logging in to important accounts.
Don’t follow suspicious links and don’t download attachments from suspicious emails that you have not seen before.
Preventive measures against potential ATO attack
Don’t panic. If you received a message indicating that someone is trying to log into your account, check its login history and the devices that have access to it, if such information is available. If anything seems suspicious to you, or you know for certain that it wasn’t you who entered the account, change your password immediately. Look carefully if any information of yours has been altered or removed, and try to recover it.
Four steps to take after an ATO attack
Try to regain access to your accounts. If you are lucky and the fraudsters haven’t changed your password or removed your recovery phone number, you can access your account and change the password yourself. Remember to do it quickly!
If you cannot log into your account any more, try contacting the support team of the service or site with which you have the account. Ask them to block your account. Be ready to provide evidence proving that you owned the account in the first place, as well as your identity documents.
If cybercriminals took over your primary email account, make sure they cannot access other platforms and services linked to it, especially the ones with your bank card added as a payment method. Ideally, call the bank and ask to block all the cards you used for internet payments. Try to remove the compromised email from all accounts you still have control over. Criminals will easily log into most of them, having access to your email.
If your work email is under attack, immediately notify your employer and ask the tech department to block all access the email account has to sensitive business information.
An account takeover is something anyone may encounter at some point in their internet life. Following the above rules significantly reduces the risk of becoming a victim of ATO and losing all your most important accounts at once.
Hashtag: #OctaFX
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About OctaFX
OctaFX is a global broker that has been providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers commission-free access to financial markets and a variety of services utilised by clients from 150 countries who have opened more than 12 million trading accounts. Free educational webinars, articles, and analytical and risk management tools the broker provides help traders reach their investment goals.
The company is involved in a comprehensive network of charity and humanitarian initiatives, including the improvement of educational infrastructure, short-notice relief projects, and supporting local communities and small to medium enterprises.
In the APAC region, it managed to capture the ‘Decade Of Excellence In Forex Asia 2021’ award and the ‘Best Forex Broker Malaysia 2022’ by Global Banking And Finance Review, World Finance, and Cfi.Co, respectively.