Photo by Mohamed M on Unsplash

Report Reveals Open-Source Malware Captures Images Of Victims Watching Porn

• Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
• Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

A recent report published by researchers at Proofpoint revealed that malicious actors have been using open-source malware labeled for “educational purposes” across multiple platforms to conduct cyberattacks. The experts discovered that this year, attackers employed automated infostealers in various campaigns, including taking pictures when users watch pornography for sextortion purposes.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

• Report reveals malicious actors have been using open-source malware available for “educational purposes” for cyberattacks.
• Stealerium and similar tools have been recently used for malicious campaigns.
• Some malware variants activate webcams and take screenshots when users view pornography for sextortion purposes.

According to the report published by Proofpoint on Wednesday, the open-source malware studied—Stealerium and similar variants—have been publicly available on platforms such as GitHub “for educational purposes only” for a long time. However, the researchers noticed recent malicious activity related to the infostealer.

“While open-source malware can be helpful for detection engineers and threat hunters to understand the patterns of behavior for which they can develop threat detection signatures, it also provides a different kind of education to malicious actors,” explained the researchers in the analysis. “These actors may adopt, modify, and possibly improve the open-source code, resulting in a proliferation of variants of the malware that are not so easy to detect or defend against.”

The researchers discovered multiple attacks targeting hundreds of organizations across the globe attributed to the threat actors TA2715 and TA2536, and linked to Stealerium. The campaigns used phishing emails with malicious attachments, impersonated organizations across various sectors, demanded payments, and applied social engineering tactics designed to instill fear and urgency.

In one case, malware installed on a victim’s device stole a wide range of data and included a pornographic-content detection feature. When adult content was recognized in a browser URL, it triggered screenshots and webcam captures.

“It’s able to detect adult content-related open browser tabs and takes a desktop screenshot as well as a webcam image capture,” wrote the researchers. “This is likely later used for ‘sextortion.’ While this feature is not novel among cybercrime malware, it is not often observed.”

Proofpoint warned of the risks posed by open-source malware and the likelihood of a new wave of cyberattacks, urging organizations to strengthen their defenses.

In recent weeks, multiple sextortion campaigns have been reported. In May, multiple outlets reported that the “Hello Pervert” campaign had been targeting many email users, and experts have also raised concerns about the use of AI for sextortion schemes on dating apps .

Photo by Christina Telep on Unsplash

Toyota To Produce First Fully Electric Vehicle In Europe

• Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
• Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Toyota announced on Wednesday that it will build its first fully battery-electric vehicle (BEV) in Europe. The world’s largest automaker will produce the new model at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Czech Republic (TMMCZ), located in the city of Kolin, in Czech Republic.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

• Toyota announced it will build its first fully battery-electric vehicle (BEV) in Europe
• The new model will be produced in the city of Kolin, at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Czech Republic.
• The facility will be expanded to accommodate the production of the vehicle and the battery.

According to the official announcement , Toyota held a ceremony along with the Government of the Czech Republic to provide more details about the proyect. The automaker explained it will expand its plant in the city of Kolin, from 152,000 to 173,000 square metres, to accommodate the facility for the production of the new EV model and the batteries.

“The new BEV, the first to be produced in one of Toyota’s European plants, is a significant milestone for both the company and the Czech Republic,” wrote the company. “For Toyota, this decision signals a further roll-out of its multi-pathway strategy designed to achieve its objective of carbon neutral operations in Europe by 2040.”

Toyota will invest approximately €680 million for manufacture and the Czech government up to €64 million for the battery assembly plant.

The automaker currently produces other hybrid models such as the Aygo X and Yaris—at an annual capacity of 220,000 vehicles—, but the new BEV will will enable the facility to expand production to additional models.

“The introduction of BEV production increases potential of the plant capacity of multi-pathway production and will lead to incremental direct employment with similar benefits for the supply chain as the majority of parts volume will be sourced in the Czech Republic,” states the document.

Toyota did not disclose further details about the model, the production timeline, or its market release.

Other automakers are also increasing their bets on electric vehicles. A few months ago, Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi announced a strategic merger for 2026 , focused on electric vehicles and innovation in intelligence.