Criminals are now advancing across platforms, targeting mobile web, native Android, and native iOS via emulators
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 29, 2023/APO Group/ —
In the past year there has been a 149% increase in threat actors using emulators to attack mobile platforms. There has also been a 295% increase in novel face swaps. This is according to a new biometric threat intelligence report (https://apo-opa.info/3lTfEBa) by iProov. Gur Geva, founder and CEO of iiDENTIFii (https://iiDENTIFii.com/), a premier partner of iProov (https://www.iProov.com/) in Africa, says, “Biometric attacks continue to grow in volume, intensity and sophistication. If we are to successfully combat these risks, we need to uncover and understand the anatomy of biometric attacks.”
As governments and businesses continue to unlock new value and efficiency through digital services, one key challenge remains. Organisations need to be assured that the person on the other side of the screen is human, and are who they claim to be. INTERPOL’s first-ever Global Crime Trend report (https://apo-opa.info/3Khjy02) estimates that over 70 per cent of respondents (all from law enforcement) expect crimes such as ransomware and phishing attacks to increase significantly in the next three to five years. This renders traditional verification technologies such as one-time passwords (OTPs) outdated and a security risk. Biometrics such as iris and retina offer a deeper method of verification but fall short in terms of liveness – they cannot bind a digital identity to a real-world individual in motion. In addition to this, the technology used to capture this biometric data may not always be as accessible or inclusive as required.
Geva says, “We have worked with our local public and private sector partners to champion face-verification authentication in South Africa and beyond.” By scanning their facial features using their smartphone or tablet, individuals can verify their identity.
However, as this space grows, so do the threats to its safety. “Cybercriminals continue to find new, sophisticated ways to intercept this technology. With this in mind, organisations need to remember that not all face verification technologies can keep up with the rapidly changing threat landscape or have the same level of security, resilience and ability to adapt to novel threats.”
Understanding the anatomy of a biometric attack is crucial in helping the public and private sector make decisions based on real-world threat intelligence
Biometric security threats currently fall into two categories: presentation attacks and digital injection attacks. Presentation attacks refer to photos, videos or even masks being held up to a screen to fool the technology into mapping the features of the identity being defrauded. In the case of digital injection attacks, imagery is injected directly into the video stream, either through emulators, hacking tools, or virtual cameras. Geva explains, “In 2022, we witnessed injection attacks occur five times more frequently than persistent presentation attacks across the web. This is because injection attacks are far more scalable than presentation attacks, as they do not require the manual creation of a physical artefact or any physical presentation, but rather the creation of a highly automated attack machine.”
2022 saw dramatic changes in digital injection attacks. Criminals are now advancing across platforms, targeting mobile web, native Android, and native iOS via emulators. With the emergence and growth of sophisticated face swaps, low-skilled criminals now have the means to launch advanced attacks. Threat actors launched motion-based attacks simultaneously and at scale against hundreds of systems globally.
Three types of synthetic injection attacks dominated the threat landscape in 2022: two-dimensional image face swaps, image-to-video deepfakes and video face swaps. The iProov report defines face swaps as “a form of synthetic imagery created using two inputs where a criminal combines traits from one face, such as motion, with the appearance of another face to create a new synthetic 3D video output”. This results in a product that carries the person’s individual facial features “so accurately that the imagery can match their government-issued identification photograph.”
Cybercriminals now have access to publicly available prepacked tools from code depository websites, allowing them to create and launch advanced synthetic attacks with little skill. In addition to this, the Crime-as-a-Service economy enables bad actors to buy, sell, and share attack methods over the dark web. A recent Europol report (https://apo-opa.info/3M0fylS) stated that Deepfakes-as-a-service has led to organisations delivering tailored deepfakes upon request.
Geva concludes, “Understanding the anatomy of a biometric attack is crucial in helping the public and private sector make decisions based on real-world threat intelligence, ensuring technology meets the anticipated threats. The technology organisations use to detect liveness has to be equipped with the latest defence. At iiDENTIFii, our platform is informed by the most recent research into biometric threats.”
Halliburton will join Venezuela Energy Week as a Platinum Sponsor as international operators accelerate efforts to restore production, reactivate drilling capacity and rebuild the oilfield services ecosystem
CARACAS, Venezuela, August 27, 2026/APO Group/ –Halliburton has joined Venezuela Energy Week 2027 as a Platinum Sponsor, bringing one of the world’s leading oilfield services companies into a market where international operators are moving to restore production and expand upstream activity. Taking place February 22–25 in Caracas, Venezuela Energy Week comes as a new investment cycle is creating fresh demand for drilling, well services, reservoir evaluation and production technologies.
Halliburton has already begun repositioning its Venezuelan operations for the changing market. In April, Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Miller said the company was discussing commercial terms with customers and had visited its Venezuelan facilities, which he said were in better condition than expected. In July, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered the restart of Halliburton’s operations and the return of previously seized assets, removing a significant legal obstacle to the company’s reactivation. Halliburton has since posted new positions in Venezuela, including roles in Maturín covering logging and perforating maintenance and supply-chain procurement, as well as a technical sales position in Zulia.
The timing reflects growing demand for oilfield services as Venezuela moves to reactivate mature fields, expand drilling and bring new investment into production. Halliburton’s capabilities span the full well lifecycle, including drilling, formation evaluation, well construction, completion and production, with services such as well intervention, cementing and stimulation increasingly important as operators work to restore aging wells and infrastructure. As new investment moves from agreements into field activity, Halliburton is positioned to provide the technical expertise and equipment required to translate Venezuela’s resource potential into additional production.
The investment environment is also changing. Venezuela’s January 2026 reform of the Organic Hydrocarbons Law opened new avenues for private participation in primary hydrocarbons activities, including operating and production contracts under which private companies can assume technical, operational and financial management. Subsequent regulations issued in July established the framework for royalties and the integrated hydrocarbons tax, while oil companies have been working to migrate existing agreements into the new regime.
This evolving framework is creating an increasingly important role for international oilfield service companies capable of supplying technology, equipment and technical expertise at scale. Halliburton’s renewed engagement comes as Venezuela moves from regulatory reform and investment agreements toward the practical work of drilling wells, restoring production and expanding field capacity.
At Venezuela Energy Week 2027, Halliburton will bring its renewed Venezuelan presence into discussions on the practical requirements of production growth, from drilling and well construction to completion and intervention. Its Platinum Sponsorship will place the company at the center of conversations around how Venezuela can rebuild oilfield capacity and translate new investment into additional barrels.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.
As gas commercialization, deepwater developments and a shifting exploration landscape reshape Angola’s upstream sector, Welligence will bring its market intelligence expertise to the Angola Oil & Gas 2026 Conference and Exhibition
LUANDA, Angola, August 27, 2026/APO Group/ –Angola’s upstream industry is entering a new investment cycle, with gas commercialization, deepwater development, renewed exploration activity and an expanding independent operator base creating new opportunities across the market. Against this backdrop, energy intelligence firm Welligence has joined the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Conference and Exhibition as an Associate Sponsor.
Welligence provides upstream intelligence covering assets, reserves, production, economics, mergers and acquisitions and emerging investment opportunities, combining analyst expertise with data and AI-driven analytics. Its platform includes more than 4,000 asset-level reports and a database covering 40,000 M&A transactions, supporting companies evaluating upstream markets and investment decisions.
Angola represents an increasingly dynamic market for this type of intelligence. Welligence has identified the country’s upstream sector as entering a new phase of growth and repositioning, supported by gas developments, new oil projects, renewed exploration and rising activity among independent operators.
On the gas front, the start of Angola’s first non-associated gas project, led by the New Gas Consortium, is paving the way for increased feedstock supply to Angola LNG. Meanwhile, the country’s landmark dedicated gas discovery at Block 1/14 in 2025 has strengthened the role of gas commercialization within Angola’s broader upstream strategy.
At the same time, new oil developments are supporting production growth, although Welligence highlights the continued need for greenfield investment as mature assets decline. Recent milestones include the start-up of the Begonia and CLOV Phase 3 projects in 2025, the commissioning of the Agogo FPSO last August and continued progress at the Kaminho project, which is expected to begin production in 2028.
The operator landscape is also evolving. Welligence has highlighted renewed exploration activity by international majors alongside growing participation from independent companies, particularly as Angola’s onshore sector opens and operators seek to reactivate mature assets and build new portfolios.
Recent transactions reinforce this trend. Equinor entered TotalEnergies’ Block 17 in June 2026, while Afentra expanded its onshore footprint through operatorship of KON 5. Woodside Energy’s three-block deal signed in May further underscored growing confidence in Angola’s frontier opportunities, while Etu Energias strengthened its position through acquisitions in Blocks 14 and 14K.
These shifts are increasing the importance of reliable market intelligence as companies assess acreage, transactions, project economics and production potential. Welligence’s participation at AOG 2026 comes at a time when investors and operators are seeking greater visibility into the opportunities shaping Angola’s next phase of upstream growth.
As Associate Sponsor, Welligence will contribute an analytical perspective to discussions at AOG 2026, where industry leaders will examine the investments, partnerships and strategies driving Angola’s energy sector forward. With new entrants entering the market and established operators advancing major developments and exploration programs, data-driven insights will remain critical to guiding future investment decisions.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.
Standard Bank, Premier Invest, Africa Finance Corporation and Banco BAI will bring financing expertise to AOG 2026 as Angola seeks to mobilize capital for upstream projects, infrastructure and local companies
LUANDA, Angola, August 27, 2026/APO Group/ –Mobilizing capital for Angola’s next oil and gas investment cycle will be a key focus at the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Conference and Exhibition, as the country seeks to attract both international and domestic capital across its evolving energy value chain. Executives from leading financial institutions and investment firms have joined the AOG speaker lineup, bringing perspectives on corporate finance and investment trends to the Luanda conference.
Angolan financial institution Banco Angolano de Investimentos (BAI) – a Silver Sponsor of AOG 2026 – is expanding its role in financing the country’s energy sector as domestic banks take on greater responsibility for supporting projects and local companies. The bank provides corporate and investment banking services spanning project finance, structured finance and capital markets. Its participation comes as Angolan lenders increasingly target mid-sized developments, onshore projects and indigenous companies that can face greater difficulty accessing international capital. CEO Luís Filipe Rodrigues Lélis will share insights into the role of local banks in building Angolan oil and gas entrepreneurs, bringing financing into discussions around strengthening local participation across the industry.
Standard Bank brings significant oil and gas financing experience to the conference. In 2024, the bank served as underwriter and bookrunner on a $1.3 billion pre-export finance facility for national oil company Sonangol. In Angola, the bank also offers contract financing, purchase-order finance and invoice discounting for oil and gas businesses. Executive Director, Business & Commercial Banking Fernando Chivinda will participate at AOG 2026 as access to finance remains central to both large-scale project development and the growth of Angolan companies across the value chain.
Premier Invest brings experience in structuring transactions and connecting global capital with African energy projects. Led by Founder and Managing Partner René Awambeng, the investment firm advises on and structures transactions across the energy value chain, working with global investors and regional financial institutions to mobilize capital for projects. Awambeng will participate at AOG 2026 as Angola seeks to broaden its sources of capital and connect project developers with investors capable of advancing opportunities toward bankability and execution.
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), meanwhile, brings an established investment footprint in Angola. The multilateral finance institution has invested close to $1 billion across the country’s power, rail, logistics and critical minerals sectors and is an Elite Sponsor of AOG 2026. In oil and gas, AFC invested $60 million as part of a $190 million debt facility supporting Etu Energias’ acquisition of interests in offshore Blocks 14 and 14K, a transaction that doubled the independent’s net production at the time from approximately 9,000 to 19,000 barrels per day. AFC Vice President for Investment Taiwo Okwor and Senior Associate for Energy Resources Tobi Edun will participate at AOG 2026, bringing experience in structuring and mobilizing capital as Angola seeks financing for energy projects and associated infrastructure.
Taking place September 9–10, with a pre-conference day scheduled for September 8, AOG 2026 will connect financial institutions and advisers with operators, government and entrepreneurs to advance commercially viable projects across the energy value chain. Visit www.AngolaOilandGas.com for more information.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.
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