On This Day in HistoryOn This Day in 1785, Two Men Braved Death When They Flew Across the English Channel in a BalloonJean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries harrowing journey was the first aerial crossing between France and Britain Jean-Pierre Blanchard ascends in his gas balloon on July 12, 1785, six months after he and John Jeffries crossed the English Channel in a similar flying machine Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsOn this day in 1785, a hydrogen-filled balloon was floating across the English Channel when it began to sink. In desperation, the two passengers began throwing possessions overboard, including their food, a pair of silk-wrapped oars theyd planned to use to row through the airand finally, the clothes on their backs. Remarkably, the balloon lifted, then landed safely in France, marking the first aerial crossing of the English Channel.The men in the basket were French exhibition balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries, an American doctor.The flying balloon had only been invented a couple years before, by French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-tienne Montgolfier. On June 4, 1783, the Montgolfiers had launched a silk balloon lined with paper. Carrying a dangling basket equipped with a fire that inflated the balloon with hot air, the craft rose up to 6,600 feet above Annonay, France. In ten minutes of flight, it traveled over a mile. A few months later, the brothers launched the same balloon, this time carrying passengers: a sheep, a duck and a rooster. On November 21, two men drifted over five miles in 25 minutes in the balloon: mankinds first flight. An illustration of the Montgolfier brothers' September 1783 balloon flight Bathasar Friedrich Leizel via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0As Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm, wrote of balloonings first year, Among all our circle of friends, at all our meals, in the antechambers of our lovely women, as in the academic schools, all one hears is talk of experiments, atmospheric air, inflammable gas, flying cars, journeys in the sky.Blanchard was inspired by the Montgolfiers contraption. He had been designing his own flying machines since the 1770s, theorizing that one might sail upon winds in a boat-like craft equipped with a rudder and oars. Once described as an unpleasant creaturea petulant little fellow, Blanchard was also courageous to the bone, according to the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum. He flew his first hydrogen gas balloon in Paris in March 1784. Later that year, he arrived in England, preparing for a risky journey across the 20-mile Strait of Dover between England and France.Jeffries, a Boston physician, had emigrated to Britain during the American Revolution. Interested in the science behind balloon flying, he offered to fund young Blanchards work, provided he could ascend with him to conduct atmospheric research. In November 1784, the two men flew a balloon above London; a few months later, they were set to cross the English Channel.The balloon dropped in altitude twice during their journey. It was the second descent that caused the pilots to panic. Jeffries later described the journey to John Quincy Adams, who journaled, He related his voyage, in which his intrepidity had well nigh been fatal to him. He and Mr. Blanchard were both of them obliged to throw almost all their clothes in the water. At one time they were not more than 20 yards above the surface. An illustration of Blanchard and Jeffries' crossing of the English Channel in January 1785 Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsIndeed, the pilots threw nearly everything from the balloon, including Blanchards trousers, into the ocean below before rising to safety. After reaching the mainland, the men discharged five or six pounds of secretions of their kidneys over the forest below, allowing the balloon to stay aloft until Calais.After urinating for their lives, the pair reached the French port city, then traveled on to Paris, where they were met with celebration. Blanchard went on to perform the first crewed balloon flight in North America, flying from Philadelphia to New Jersey in 1793.Aerial travel had long been birds-only. As two of balloonings pioneers, Blanchard and Jeffries set out on flights that were part of an exciting era of innovation and public curiosity in Europe and the United Statesthe beginning of aviation.As one observer wrote of a balloon launch in France, It is impossible to describe that moment the women in tears; the common people raising their hands to the sky in deep silence; the passengers leaning out of the gallery, waving and crying out in joy the feeling of fright gives way to wonder.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Ghost of Tsushima to get anime adaptationSeries will focus on the game's multiplayer mode Legends, will premiere on Crunchyroll in 2027Image credit: Crunchyroll News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Jan. 7, 2025 An anime adaptation of Ghost of Tsushima is in the works, based on its Legends multiplayer mode.Announced yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the series will be directed by Takanobu Mizuno and produced by anime studio Kamikaze Douga in collaboration with Aniplex.The series will premiere on the Sony-owned anime streaming service Crunchyroll in 2027."Ghost of Tsushima's rich, immersive world and its fantastical Legends mode based on Japanese mythology provide the perfect canvas for this project," said PlayStation Productions head Asad Qizilbash."Aniplex is the perfect partner to translate Sucker Punch Productions' hit video game into a stunning new anime."Ghost of Tsushima is also being adapted into a feature film, with John Wick director Chad Stahelski at the helm. Sucker Punch Productions will serve as an executive producer on the movie.A sequel to the 2020 action-adventure game is currently in development. Announced at the Game Awards last month, Ghost of Yōtei will launch on PS5 sometime in 2025.

The immediate flaw in any attempt to stack the 13 extant Harlan Coben TV thrillers in order of greatness is that none of them are exactly great. Pretty much all of them though, are compulsive viewing and will pull you through a bucking and twisting story at the speed of a beagle on the scent of a nearby sausage. Theyre packed with incident and revelations, and are generally performed by a charismatic cast so big that youll never quite meet them all, let alone tire of their company. Binge-watches par excellence, each one of these series is precision-designed to be gulped down in very few bites.As these stories all shop for plot in the same aisle, chances are that if you enjoy one Harlan Coben thriller, youll enjoy the others. Theyre all filled with cliff-hangers, twists, secret identities, surprise resurrections, flashback wigs, and oh-no-it-was-you-all-along reveals. Theyre largely very fun, is the point, despite an over-reliance on unlikely coincidence and a tendency to unravel come the finale. The European adaptations (so far there have been six British, three French, one Spanish, two Polish, and one US, with more on the way) tend to be less fun than the UK-set series, which lean into their high-colour absurdity with more gleeful abandon. If youre watching with subtitles then, expect more nudity and sexual violence, and fewer comedy alpacas.Here then, are all 13 Harlan Coben series so far listed in order from least to most enjoyable, along with details of where they can be streamed.13. Disparu Jamais/Gone for Good (2021)Watch on: NetflixThe coastal city of Nice makes a trs beau backdrop for this French adaptation of Cobens 2002 New Jersey-set novel Gone for Good, but thats more or less all this five-part thriller has going for it. Its the story of Guillaume, a young man who suffers a dreadful loss in 2010, but then repairs his life just in time for it all to fall apart again in 2020 with the disappearance of his girlfriend. So unravels a complicated crime story with a needlessly repetitive structure.The dialogue veers between perfunctory exposition (Remember, we have to get up early for your mums funeral, like anybody could forget) and melodrama, the characters are bland or cliched, the performances uncharismatic and the story sadly lacks any convincing surprises. And while Harlan Coben thrillers almost all include flashbacks to decades earlier (sometimes relying on a wig to de-age an actor by 20 years, with variable results), here, the time jumps between 2010, 2017 and 2020 confuse rather than engage. What it lacks in charm, it makes up for in gunfire and shootouts with preposterous villains. Nice looks nice though.12. The Five (2016)Watch on: NOW (UK), Fubo/Directv (US)This was the first of the UK Coben adaptations by Reds Nicola Schindler, Richard Fee and writer-producer Danny Brocklehurst, and while it laid down a basis for what was to follow, the formula wasnt quite there yet. Its about the disappearance of a five-year-old boy in the 1990s, and the winding path to finding out what really happened 20 years later when a group of grown-up childhood friends including the missing boys brother reunite to discover the truth.At 10 episodes, The Five is over-long and feels convoluted, but its main issue is character. The lead cast of Tom Cullen, Lee Ingleby, Sarah Solemani and O-T Fagbenle are individually strong, but have very little chemistry with each other, making them unconvincing as a group of lifelong friends who were supposedly inseparable as children. Add to that some nasty sexual abuse plot threads, an ending that involves an enormous coincidence and a major suspension of disbelief, and The Five doesnt really add up to much. Its still very watchable, with all the hooks and tricks in place to pull you through the plot, but is ultimately too ruled by contrivance to be properly satisfying. That said, it is perhaps the only crime drama to feature a high-speed foot chase involving a detective leaping over multiple caravans, so there is that.11. Juste Un Regard/Just One Look (2017)Watch on: All4 (UK), not currently available to stream in the US.This is the classic Coben story of a comfortable middle-class existence shaken by long-buried secrets. It starts well, and has a great lead in Virginie Ledoyen playing Eva the most improbably beautiful forest ranger France has ever seen but the finale is pure Scooby Doo nonsense. Prepare yourself for that, and this six-episode French mystery will fill your time well enough. Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Its the story of Eva and Bastien, a happily married couple with two kids whose life is turned upside down when Bastien disappears one day. So begins a series of twists involving gangsters, psychopathic killers, car chases and the uncovering of decades-old secrets. To be frank, its all a waste of a great lead in Ledoyen, and not only pivots on a preposterous coincidence but also relies upon some faintly ridiculous flashbacks of men in their 40s trying to pass as their 20-year-old selves (think Joey from Friends trying to audition for teen roles in his beanie hat). Look out for novelist and screenwriter Harlan Coben making one of his many Alfred Hitchcock-style cameos as a hospital doctor in the finale.10. Hold Tight (2022)Watch on: NetflixThis is the second Polish Harlan Coben adaptation after 2020s The Woods (see below) and purists should technically watch that one first, because Hold Tight continues the characters of Pawel, Laura and Kaja from the earlier series. However, you wont be at a disadvantage if you come in completely cold as those three are just supporting characters and to be honest, theres plenty about Hold TightIts the story of dead teenage boy Igor and the secrets his friends are keeping about the circumstances of his accidental death. There are drug dealers, revenge porn, assassins, and Bushido stick fighting. Thematically, its about the love a parent has for their child, and the perennial Coben theme of the secrets our loved ones keep from us. Its overstuffed with plot and finale twists that, once prodded, fall apart under scrutiny. Its very much not the tightest, or the most entertaining Harlan Coben adaptation, hence only landing at this point in our list.9. Missing You (2025)A very decent lead in Slow Horses Rosalind Eleazar is basically squandered in this overly compressed story that hinges on the preposterous notion that a kickass, intelligent woman who was cruelly abandoned by her fianc without a word of explanation, would be moon-eyed and ready to reconnect the second he turns up again over a decade later. Missing You is the story of DI Kat Donovan (Eleazar), a detective investigating missing persons and who discovers that everything about her fathers historical murder isnt as it seems.Eleazar is solid as Kat, and Steve Pemberton makes a suitably grim villain as dog-breeder Titus, but with just five episodes to tell this story, theres not enough room to develop the supporting characters, or to include the usual oddball humour that make these British Harlan Coben adaptations stand out from the crowd. 8. The Stranger (2020)Watch on: NetflixThe Danny Brocklehurst/Red Productions adaptations get into their stride with The Stranger, which combines the classic multiple-murders-multiple-secrets stuff of the Coben novel with an emerging bizarre sense of humour. The Hobbit and Hannibals Richard Armitage stars as Adam, a man approached by the titular stranger and told a disturbing allegation about his wife. And Adams not the only one. The same young woman (Killjoys Hannah John-Kamen, gender-swapped from a male character in the original book) is going around town spilling secrets and setting off figurative bombs in the lives of comfortable middle class families. In the end, its all connected in a series of implausible yet neat ways, and the eight episodes conclude with a decent finale that sees the various plot threads accounted for. Highlights are Siobhan Finneran and Kadiff Kirwan as cops Joanna and Wes, and a very welcome appearance by Jennifer Saunders. Look out for Coben playing a police computer analyst in the back of an episode two shot. See also: alpacas.Read more 7. Harlan Cobens Shelter (2023)Watch on: Prime VideoThe first Harlan Coben TV adaptation to stay in the US is the story of Mickey Bolitar, a New Jersey high schooler who investigates the disappearance of a fellow student and discovers the truth about his father along the way. It streams on Prime Video, who nabbed the rights to the Young Adult spin-off character, while Netflix scored the rights to bring his more famous uncle Myron Bolitar to the screen.This one is a mixed bag. Its the expected cocktail of gripping cliff-hangers and ridiculous plot twists, and bounces along on the charm of its teen mystery Scooby Gang vibe, with fun, bouncy dialogue and charismatic young actors. Think Stranger Things, but instead of kids fighting monsters from other realms, theyre fighting conscienceless crime bosses and hitmen with tattooed faces. And then theres the other stuff, which is mind-blowingly tasteless, and a spoiler to say why. The tone veers wildly between deadly serious and comically silly, and never quite settles in a comfortable place, but as ever with these stories, you might be baffled, but theres very little chance youll be bored.6. The Woods (2020)Watch on: NetflixThe first Polish-language Coben adaptation (followed by Hold Tight see above) on Netflix is the story of a boy and a girl who went missing from a summer camp as teenagers in 1994. Grzegotz Damiecki plays the brother of the missing girl 25 years later, as he investigates what happened that night. Its part mystery, part romance, and part critique of the difference between natural justice and that offered by the legal system.The Woods demands that you pay attention, not least because of the frequent jumps between the past and present, in which the same characters are played by more than one actor. (For non-Polish speakers, the subtitles are a boon in that area, and useful for staying oriented.) Its a dense and compelling story that, while stretching credulity in the way these things tend to, nonetheless keeps you engaged. The chief positive is the cast, with strong performances from Damiecki and his on-screen partner Agnieszka Grochowska, and a great choice of young actors in the before sections.5. Stay Close (2021)Watch on: NetflixThis UK Coben thriller is an extremely watchable eight-episode story revolving around Megan Pierce (The Good Fights Cush Jumbo), a charity worker and mother of three whose life is tipped upside down when (you guessed it) secrets from her past start to bleed into her present. When a young man goes missing from a nightclub, his wealthy father sends two psychopathic assassins to find him, while local cops Broome and Cartwright believe theyre on the trail of a serial killer.Stay Close may have some grisly revelations in store (the weak-stomached, be warned), but its also where Coben thrillers really make peace with their natural absurdity. Thats seen in the characters of killers-for-hire/musical theatre nerds Barbie and Ken, who tap dance and jazz hands their way through torture and knife-fights as the twisting plot builds. Theres a very decent cast in this one, which also features James Nesbitt, Sarah Parish, Richard Armitage (again) and Eddie Izzard. 4. Une Chance de Trop/No Second Chance (2015)Watch on: All4 (UK), PBS Masterpiece (US)Anuzzer French sirees de Arlan Coh-ban ere, and the best of the bunch so far. No Second Chance aired in the UK as part of Channel 4s Walter Presents strand of quality non-English language drama, and its a good pick, if not quite the season of Spiral it would perhaps like to be. Alexandra Lamy plays Alice, a doctor who suffers a brutal attack in which her baby daughter is kidnapped. So begins a race to find the girl while trying to solve the mystery of who broke into Alices family home.What Alice discovers as she searches for baby Tara is a tragic family history, and a complicated international operation. After a tense and eventful opener, a solemn story unfurls thats not quite done justice to by a slightly cheesy conclusion, but at only six episodes, No Second Chance doesnt outstay its welcome. The real star of the series is Hippolyte Girardot as grouchy detective Tessier, part of the team tasked with tracing Alices missing daughter. Alices character was originally a man in the US novel, and the change was worth making if only to set this six-part series apart from others in the find my daughter revenge genre. 3. Safe (2018)Watch on: NetflixAll anyone likes to talk about with Safe is Dexter star Michael C. Halls British accent (which is uncanny in every sense of the word) but this eight-part thriller has more to offer than that. Hall plays Tom, a widower and father of two ex-army surgeon who lives in a gated community among a bunch of wealthy neighbours under the illusion that their money has made their families safe. Safe from what? Abduction, murder, drugs, scandal, their own troubled and long-buried secret pasts You name it, this lot have done it. Whats really right about this one is the cast, which balances Hall on a fulcrum of Amanda Abbington and Marc Warren playing Toms two closest friends, and then tips that balance in the right direction with the always-unforgettable Nigel Lindsay as the flash dad of a tearaway teen. The plot is rightly ludicrous (there are 19th century morality novels with fewer hidden relations and terrible secrets), but it all rips along enjoyably, without leaving a moment to consider quite how unlikely it all is. A proper old-fashioned thrill ride.2. Fool Me Once (2023)Watch on: NetflixTwo words: Adeel Akhtar. Playing detective Sami Kierce, an expectant father with a traumatic past and secrets of his own, Akhtar steals the show in Fool Me Once, which is that rare thing a Harlan Coben thriller that doesnt fall apart by its final episode. This is the story of Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan), a helicopter pilot and captain who left the military after a scandal, and who loses her husband (Richard Armitage) and sister in close succession. Are their murders connected, and if so, can Kierce find out how? Moreover, can Maya discover why her supposedly dead husband has just shown up alive on their daughters nanny cam? Fool Me Once has all the twists, cliffhangers and secrets-buried-25-years-ago of any of these stories, with the addition of some ever-popular working class outsider v the one percent conflict, plus Akhtar acting up a storm (not having apparently received the memo that hes in a big, silly, thriller so A-games arent necessarily a cast requirement). All that, plus a finite ending (major finale spoilers in our exploration here) that properly closes the book. Its highly watchable stuff and a great place to start with these shows.1. The Innocent (2021)Watch on: NetflixWhether The Innocent would take your personal top spot in this list depends on whether you prefer your Harlan Coben series fizzy and bizarre, or earnest and straight down the line. This Spanish adaptation is the latter, a serious thriller filled with prison, guns, sex cults, blackmail, murders and voice-over narration. (Personally, the nasty sexual violence made me long for the alpaca oddness of the British strand, but theres no debating that this is a seriously good thriller with one of the most satisfying endings of any on this list.) The Innocent, largely set in Barcelona, is the story of Mat, an ex-convict lawyer whose wife goes missing, setting him on a complicated journey themed around revenge where the twists keep coming. Its about the notion of second chances, and would probably have been called that had Harlan Coben not already published No Second Chance (see above) in 2003.

Jan 07, 2025Ravie LakshmananCyber Attack / HackingInternet service providers (ISPs) and governmental entities in the Middle East have been targeted using an updated variant of the EAGERBEE malware framework.The new variant of EAGERBEE (aka Thumtais) comes fitted with various components that allow the backdoor to deploy additional payloads, enumerate file systems, and execute commands shells, demonstrating a significant evolution."The key plugins can be categorized in terms of their functionality into the following groups: Plugin Orchestrator, File System Manipulation, Remote Access Manager, Process Exploration, Network Connection Listing, and Service Management," Kaspersky researchers Saurabh Sharma and Vasily Berdnikov said in an analysis.The backdoor has been assessed by the Russian cybersecurity company with medium confidence to a threat group called CoughingDown.EAGERBEE was first documented by the Elastic Security Labs, attributing it to a state-sponsored and espionage-focused intrusion set dubbed REF5961. A "technically straightforward backdoor" with forward and reverse C2 and SSL encryption capabilities, it's designed to conduct basic system enumeration and deliver subsequent executables for post-exploitation.Subsequently, a variant of the malware was observed in attacks by a Chinese state-aligned threat cluster tracked as Cluster Alpha as part of a broader cyber espionage operation codenamed Crimson Palace with an aim to steal sensitive military and political secrets from a high-profile government organization in Southeast Asia.Cluster Alpha, per Sophos, overlaps with threat clusters tracked as BackdoorDiplomacy, REF5961, Worok, and TA428. BackdoorDiplomacy, for its part, is known to exhibit tactical similarities with another Chinese-speaking group codenamed CloudComputating (aka Faking Dragon), which has attributed to a multi-plugin malware framework referred to as QSC in attacks targeting the telecom industry in South Asia."QSC is a modular framework, of which only the initial loader remains on disk while the core and network modules are always in memory," Kaspersky noted back in November 2024. "Using a plugin-based architecture gives attackers the ability to control which plugin (module) to load in memory on demand depending on the target of interest."In the latest set of attacks involving EAGERBEE, an injector DLL is designed to launch the backdoor module, which is then used to collect system information and exfiltrate the details to a remote server to which a connection is established via a TCP socket.The server subsequently responds with a Plugin Orchestrator that, in addition to reporting system-related information to the server (e.g., NetBIOS name of the domain; physical and virtual memory usage; and system locale and time zone settings), harvests details about running processes and awaits further instructions -Receive and inject plugins into memoryUnload a specific plugin from memory, remove the plugin from the listRemove all plugins from the listCheck if the plugin is loaded or not"All the plugins are responsible for receiving and executing commands from the orchestrator," the researchers said, adding they perform file operations, manage processes, maintain remote connections, manage system services, and list network connections.Kaspersky said it also observed EAGERBEE being deployed in several organizations in East Asia, with two of them breached using the ProxyLogon vulnerability (CVE-2021-26855) to drop web shells that were then used to execute commands on the servers, ultimately leading to the backdoor deployment."Among these is EAGERBEE, a malware framework primarily designed to operate in memory," the researchers pointed out. "This memory-resident architecture enhances its stealth capabilities, helping it evade detection by traditional endpoint security solutions.""EAGERBEE also obscures its command shell activities by injecting malicious code into legitimate processes. These tactics allow the malware to seamlessly integrate with normal system operations, making it significantly more challenging to identify and analyze."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Jan 07, 2025Ravie LakshmananCritical Infrastructure / Cyber AttackThe U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday said there are no indications that the cyber attack targeting the Treasury Department impacted other federal agencies.The agency said it's working closely with the Treasury Department and BeyondTrust to get a better understanding of the breach and mitigate its impacts."The security of federal systems and the data they protect is of critical importance to our national security," CISA said. "We are working aggressively to safeguard against any further impacts and will provide updates, as appropriate."The latest statement comes a week after the Treasury Department said it was the victim of a "major cybersecurity incident" that allowed Chinese state-sponsored threat actors to remotely access some computers and unclassified documents.The cyber attack, which came to light in early December 2024, involved a breach of BeyondTrust's systems that allowed the adversary to infiltrate some of the company's Remote Support SaaS instances by making use of a compromised Remote Support SaaS API key.In an updated statement on January 6, 2025, BeyondTrust said "no new customers have been identified beyond those we have communicated with previously." China has denied allegations that it breached the U.S. Treasury Department.Data shared by attack surface management company Censys shows that as many as 13,548 exposed BeyondTrust Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access instances have been observed online as of January 6.Last week, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against a Chinese cybersecurity company, Integrity Technology Group, Incorporated, accusing it of lending infrastructure support to another hacking group called Flax Typhoon as part of a long-running campaign against U.S. critical infrastructure.The attack against the Treasury is the latest in a wave of intrusions perpetrated by Chinese threat actors such as Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon targeting U.S. critical infrastructure and telecommunications networks, respectively.The Wall Street Journal revealed over the weekend that among the nine telecom companies breached by Salt Typhoon are Charter Communications, Consolidated Communications, and Windstream. Some of the other entities previously identified included AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies.In a new report published today, Bloomberg said the Chinese state-sponsored threat group dubbed APT41 penetrated the executive branch of the Philippines government and siphoned sensitive data related to disputes over the South China Sea as part of a yearslong campaign from early 2023 to June 2024.China Ramps Up Cyber Attacks on TaiwanThe developments also follow a report from Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB), warning of increasing sophistication of cyber attacks orchestrated by China against the country. A total of 906 cases of cyber incidents have been registered against government and private sector entities in 2024, up from 752 in 2023.The modus operandi entails typically exploiting vulnerabilities in Netcom devices and utilizing living-off-the-land (LotL) techniques to establish footholds, evade detection, and deploy malware for follow-on attacks and data theft. Alternative attack chains involve sending spear-phishing emails to Taiwanese civil servants.Other widely observed Chinese attacks against Taiwanese targets are listed below -Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on transportation and financial sectors coinciding with military drills by the People's Liberation Army (PLA)Ransomware attacks on the manufacturing sectorTargeting high-tech startups to steal patented technologiesTheft of personal data of Taiwanese nationals to sell them on underground cybercrime forums.Criticism of Taiwan's cybersecurity capabilities on social media platforms to erode confidence in the government "Attacking the communications field, mainly telecommunications industry, has grown by 650%, and attacking the fields of transportation and defense supply chain have grown by 70% and 57%, respectively," the NSB said."By applying diverse hacking techniques, China has conducted reconnaissance, set cyber ambushes, and stolen data through hacking operations targeting Taiwan's government, critical infrastructure, and key private enterprises."The NSB has also called out China for conducting influence operations against Taiwan, conducting disinformation campaigns seeking to undermine public confidence in the government and heighten social divisions via social media platforms like Facebook and X.Notable among the tactics is the extensive use of inauthentic accounts to flood comment sections on social media platforms used by Taiwanese people to disseminate manipulated videos and meme images. Malicious cyber activities have also been found to hijack Taiwanese users' social media accounts to spread disinformation."China has been using deepfake technology to fabricate video clips of Taiwanese political figures' speeches, attempting to mislead the Taiwanese public's perception and understanding," the NSB said."In particular, China actively establishes convergence media brands or proxy accounts on platforms such as Weibo, TikTok, and Instagram, working to spread official media content and Taiwan-focused propaganda."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Jan 07, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Network SecurityTaiwan-based Moxa has warned of two security vulnerabilities impacting its cellular routers, secure routers, and network security appliances that could allow privilege escalation and command execution.The list of vulnerabilities is as follows -CVE-2024-9138 (CVSS 4.0 score: 8.6) - A hard-coded credentials vulnerability that could allow an authenticated user to escalate privileges and gain root-level access to the system, leading to system compromise, unauthorized modifications, data exposure, or service disruptionCVE-2024-9140 (CVSS 4.0 score: 9.3) - A vulnerability allows attackers to exploit special characters to bypass input restrictions, potentially leading to unauthorized command executionThe shortcomings, reported by security researcher Lars Haulin, affect the below products and firmware versions -CVE-2024-9138 - EDR-810 Series (Firmware version 5.12.37 and earlier), EDR-8010 Series (Firmware version 3.13.1 and earlier), EDR-G902 Series (Firmware version 5.7.25 and earlier), EDR-G902 Series (Firmware version 5.7.25 and earlier), EDR-G9004 Series (Firmware version 3.13.1 and earlier), EDR-G9010 Series (Firmware version 3.13.1 and earlier), EDF-G1002-BP Series (Firmware version 3.13.1 and earlier), NAT-102 Series (Firmware version 1.0.5 and earlier), OnCell G4302-LTE4 Series (Firmware version 3.13 and earlier), and TN-4900 Series (Firmware version 3.13 and earlier)CVE-2024-9140 - EDR-8010 Series (Firmware version 3.13.1 and earlier), EDR-G9004 Series (Firmware version 3.13.1 and earlier), EDR-G9010 Series (Firmware version 3.13.1 and earlier), EDF-G1002-BP Series (Firmware version 3.13.1 and earlier), NAT-102 Series (Firmware version 1.0.5 and earlier), OnCell G4302-LTE4 Series (Firmware version 3.13 and earlier), and TN-4900 Series (Firmware version 3.13 and earlier)Patches have been made available for the following versions -EDR-810 Series (Upgrade to the firmware version 3.14 or later)EDR-8010 Series (Upgrade to the firmware version 3.14 or later)EDR-G902 Series (Upgrade to the firmware version 3.14 or later)EDR-G903 Series (Upgrade to the firmware version 3.14 or later)EDR-G9004 Series (Upgrade to the firmware version 3.14 or later)EDR-G9010 Series (Upgrade to the firmware version 3.14 or later)EDF-G1002-BP Series (Upgrade to the firmware version 3.14 or later)NAT-102 Series (No official patch available)OnCell G4302-LTE4 Series (Please contact Moxa Technical Support)TN-4900 Series (Please contact Moxa Technical Support)As mitigations, it's recommended to ensure that devices are not exposed to the internet, limit SSH access to trusted IP addresses and networks using firewall rules or TCP wrappers, and implement measures to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

The AJ100-topping practice said yesterday (6 January) that it had agreed to occupy three floors at 50 Electric Boulevard, an office block it designed itself, and which completed last July as part of the Battersea Power Station masterplan.The offices are a mile east of Fosters main Battersea Riverside headquarters in Hester Road.The AJ understands that hundreds of staff and multiple project teams from Fosters workforce will relocate to the new studio space. The company has a total of 1,894 staff, according to its most recently filed Companies House report.AdvertisementThe practice will occupy roughly 4,460m2 of the 18,600m2 office building, which sits to the western side of Electric Boulevard. The street links the Grade II*-listed Gilbert Scott-designed power station, retrofitted by WilkinsonEyre, to Grimshaws Battersea Power Station tube stationFosters announcement comes after recent Companies House documents showed an enormous growth in Middle East income for the practice. The region made up by far the biggest share (42.1 per cent) of its 177.5 million income for the 2023-24 year.Fosters pipeline of work in the Middle East includes major Saudi Arabia projects. In 2022, it won the job of masterplanning the King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, while last year, the AJ revealed it was behind plans for a 2km-tall tower in the city.In comparison, UK work made up only 9 per cent (37.9 million) of Fosters 2023-24 income. That is despite it being the UK's largest practice, achieving a record 422 million in turnover over the period.Fosters managing director Stuart Latham said of the Electric Boulevard occupation: It has been a privilege to be part of the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and we are now delighted to be expanding into a state-of-the-art office space at 50 Electric Boulevard.AdvertisementHe continued: The location has strong links with our existing Riverside studio in Battersea and allows us to actively support our growing workforce in London.Foster + Partners design for a six-runway international airport in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia

The winning teams include AHR Architects, ArchitecturePLB, Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt, BDP, Conran and Partners, Pollard Thomas Edwards, PRP Architecture and Weston Williamson + Partners (WW+P).The teams selected for the four-year agreement will have the opportunity to work on a range of housebuilding projects with the Eastleigh-based housing association.Abri manages more than 50,000 homes across the south and south-west of England and plans to deliver at least 1,000 new homes a year.AdvertisementThe winning teams will support Abris 800 million construction programme to develop new homes across its regions in line with a commitment to build 10,000 homes by 2030.Abri director of development Nicola ORourke said: Were looking forward to collaborating with partners who share our commitment to creating communities that deliver lasting social value. This framework is about more than just building homes; its also about creating jobs and offering educational opportunities.By working together, with a focus on high-quality, sustainable homes, we can develop thriving communities that will grow in the years ahead.The framework is divided into three lots covering architecture, employers agent, and principal designer services. The framework launch comes a year after Silva Homes became a member of Abri Group.Abri was created in 2020 following a merger between Radian and Yarlington housing associations.Recent schemes include Architecture PLB-designed 18.5 million Quebec Park development in Whitehill and Bordon.AdvertisementThe chosen consultantsAHR ArchitectsArchitecturePLBAyre Chamberlain GauntBaily GarnerBDPBoon BrownBoulter MossmanConran and PartnersECD ArchitectsECE ArchitectureFaithorn Farrell TimmsFBM ArchitectsFrazer Garner AssociatesGates Construction ConsultantsHunter & PartnersJohn Rowan and PartnersKendall KingscottKSA ArchitectsLambert Smith Hampton GroupMH ArchitectsMichael Dyson Associatespdp architecturePellingsPollard Thomas EdwardsPRP ArchitectureQuattro Design ArchitectsRandall SimmondsRidge & PartnersRund PartnershipTremain Powell PartnershipWard Williams AssociatesWelling PartnershipWeston Williamson + Partners

Chris Dyson Architects won the competition to design a new building on the Harrow Arts Centres (HAC) campus. The focus of the campus is the Grade II-listed Elliott Hall. The Greenhill Building is behind this, next to the boiler house and chimney and several low brick buildings, now artists studios historically part of a school and its farm. It replaced a crumbling site cabin.To make the most of the available budget, the team had to be inventive with site, form and structure and explore unconventional materials to deliver a flexible building that would be of enduring value to the local community. Our aim was to provide the spaces for yoga, workshops and celebrations that the community had asked for, while supporting HACs aim to be more financially sustainable. The L-shaped, two-storey building maximises useable space. Two large teaching rooms on the ground floor have double doors opening onto a courtyard. Above are two top-lit teaching rooms and a small studio with a view through the trees.Its an early example of a fully cross-laminated timber structured arts centre, which was more typical in education and office buildings at that time, but offered an affordable, low-waste and low-carbon alternative to structural steel.Mathew Witts, partner, Chris Dyson ArchitectsAdvertisementProject dataStart on site 2021 Completion Gross internal floor area 2Construction cost 1.8 millionConstruction cost per m2 3,910Architect Chris Dyson ArchitectsClient London Borough of HarrowStructural engineer Webb YatesM&E consultant Webb YatesQuantity surveyor PT ProjectsPrincipal designer Chris Dyson ArchitectsApproved building inspector Harrow Building ControlLandscape architect Kinnear Landscape ArchitectsSignage and wayfinding Studio EmmiTransport planningFire safety CWBCAD software used RevitAnnual CO2 emissions 1.1 kgCO2e/m/yr (operational)Predicted design Life 60 yearsEmbodied and/or whole-life carbon225 kgCO2e/m (structural)144 kgCO2e/m (non-structural)369 kgCO2e/m (total upfront)300 kgCO2e/m (sequestered)Architects choicesThe approach is unashamedly new, but sensitive to the campuss history and patchwork of buildings. The site was once surrounded by fields. This agricultural legacy informed the L-shaped plan around a yard and red corrugated faade we considered Cor-ten early on, which we have used previously, but the cost was prohibitive and we liked the boldness of the red fibre cement against the brick, and the fact it is an everyday, practical farm material. Throughout, the design embraces the challenge of doing more with less: creating more useful space for people, but using less material, less energy and a fully CLT structure.Chris Dyson, principal, Chris Dyson ArchitectsSpecificationThe red corrugated faade is made from a fibre cement more typically used for barn roofs. The profile was selected from a brochure specified for livestock and equestrian facilities. It offers good thermal performance and protects from heat and moisture.All materials were selected with consideration of their future use just as CLT can be dismantled and repurposed, the cement fibre cladding panels can be ground down to create new ones. The building itself is designed to be similarly adaptable.The serrated roof peeks above the surrounding brick buildings. Each asymmetrical pitch takes advantage of north light and glazing creates bright, top-lit rooms. The budget was focused on the elements that would most impact everyday use, such as acoustic insulation between floors so a dance class upstairs wont disrupt a life drawing session downstairs.AdvertisementOne challenge was to manage the budget against rising material costs and availability during the pandemic. This was achieved through pragmatic material choices, close collaboration with suppliers, clear priorities and keeping our focus on the buildings eventual users. For services, our design uses off-the-shelf commercial cable trays to minimise installation costs and save time.Chris Dyson, principal, Chris Dyson ArchitectsSelected productsDoorsDorplanPuraDor in ashAll roomsdorplan.co.uk/puradorFloor coveringsIVCCommercial Optimise 70 heterogeneous vinyl floor covering, Cevennes T97Allivc-commercial.comSuspended lightingHilton6280 Surface/suspended. Black finishGround floorAll DownlightsJohn Cullen LightingRF2. Black finishThroughoutjohncullenlighting.comCladdingEternitExternal faadeseternit.co.ukRooflightsVeluxRoofvelux.co.ukCross-laminated timberEurbanThroughouteurban.co.ukLiftCibescibeslift.comRoofSarnafilRoof coveringgbr.sika.com

The Last of Us season 2 trailer teases two of the game's most impactful scenesAirs April.Image credit: Max News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on Jan. 7, 2025 A new trailer for The Last of Us has been released, teasing some of the events to come in the show's second season.Additionally, while we still don't have a specific date, it has been announced that The Last of Us season two will begin airing in April. That's the same month The Last of Us Part 2 will make its PC debut.The trailer, which you can see below, lasts a little over a minute, but still manages to cram in the suspense. Along with Ellie and Joel, we also get another look at new characters for this season, including Kaitlyn Dever's Abby and Isabela Merced's Dina. Please note, beneath the trailer I will be going into more detail about what was shown, so be aware of major spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 below.The Last Of Us Season 2 | April 2025. Watch on YouTubeA fair portion of the trailer is made up with snippets of scenes we have seen before: Ellie and Dina getting swarmed by infected in the subway, Ellie at the Jackson dance (although this time with Dina), Joel shedding a tear during a presumed therapy session, the tender moment between a weary looking Tommy and Maria, and so on.Jeffrey Wright, reprising his role as Isaac, and the Seraphites are also glimpsed during the latest trailer for season two. Image credit: Naughty Dog Image credit: MaxBut there are also two moments I particularly want to highlight, which are sure to pack an emotional punch upon the series' release.The first is the very opening of the trailer, which begins in a hallway with a wailing siren and ominous red lighting. A lone figure walks into the shot. She is holding a gun with a Firefly pendant around her neck. It is Abby, and this scene is clearly set in the hospital after Joel's rampage at the end of season one.Those who have played The Last of Us Part 2 know this means Abby is about to come across the body of the doctor who was set to perform surgery on Ellie before Joel killed him - her father. I won't deny, I cried when I played through this part. Image credit: Naughty Dog Image credit: MaxThe second moment that bears mentioning specifically is the lone shot of Ellie, again bathed in a red light, aiming a gun at an unseen target. The scene then cuts to black, but heavy breathing can be heard.Based on events in The Last of Us Part 2, I am going to say this moment takes place after Ellie chases WLF member Nora (played in the show by Tati Gabrielle) down in Seattle. Ellie proceeds to torture and kill Nora, in one of the already harrowing game's most harrowing moments. Ellie's actions here traumatise her even further, and she returns to Dina and Jesse in a state of shock.When I played The Last of Us Part 2, this moment with Nora left me feeling especially uncomfortable. I wonder if those who have not played the game will feel this same sense of unease when the second season airs. Image credit: Naughty Dog Image credit: Max Image credit: Naughty DogLast year, The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin confirmed the second season of The Last of Us will comprise of seven episodes, with one of those episodes being "quite big" in length."The story that we're telling is much bigger than the story of season one, there's just a lot more going on, it's a lot harder to produce but we want every episode to feel like its own blockbuster to be honest with you," Mazin said in June.The Last of Us Part 2's story will not be told in full during season two, with subsequent seasons expected to wrap up the narrative.