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theislandwebcomix · 7 years ago

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The Lost World

"Where four million people disported themselves, the wild wolves roam to-day, and the savage progeny of our loins, with prehistoric weapons, defend themselves against the fanged despoilers. Think of it! And all because of the Scarlet Death""

Jack London

In 1945, after having eradicated the fears that superstition and ignorance caused for centuries, a new fear based on science and technology devastated humanity. For the first time, humans have the possibility to destroy the planet. Since then, a lot of fictions imagine a dark future in which all the civilization we know disappears, giving rise to apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic scenarios, where new societies appear eventually, or not. Comics have been a format where artists and writers have expressed dark fantasies about that fear, perhaps to exorcising it, perhaps to alerting us about what awaits us if the arms race and the abuse of natural resources continues. Most of them had been successful works of art because they have been able to interpret the zeitgeist corresponding to the last decades because it is not an ancestral and irrational fear, it is about things that could really happen even if nobody wants them. Leaving aside clichés, this modern and logical fear it has led to fascinating stories where readers have been able to confront the worst of contemporary nightmares. Likewise, the format of comics has given to artists the chance of developing a complete set of values, symbols, and topics with an incredible visual power that transcends fashions and commercial interests.

The Lost World

In the middle of the Second World War, with many cartoonists enlisted in the army and participating in the liberation of France, women artists had the opportunity to take the place of men and draw some comics, here we see the initial vignette of The Lost World, the episode of the number 44 of Planet Comics, illustrated by the pioneer female cartoonist, Lili Renée.

First reference we have about post-apocalypse works of fiction is the novel The Last Man (1817), by Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein), which premise proposes an uninhabited world due to the use of chemical weapons in a hypothetical war in the year 2071 (yes, a premise like that comes from 1817). Later Jack London, in 1912 writes The Scarlet Plague, developing the idea of a destroyed civilization that tries to reconstruct itself, although apparently, starting from the beginning, and that would be, from a rough sketch of a society which members do not even know how to write. Both books are great and they should be better known. In 1938, and prophesying the World War II that began the next year, was released the daring film "Things to Come" , with a script by HG Wells, which tells the history of humanity from 1939, imagining that society as we know it is destroyed and then is redeveloped in a process that takes centuries.

But as far as we know, the first comic that faces the topic of the post-apocalyptic world is The Lost World.

Published for the first time in the middle of World War II in 1942, in 21 issue of Planet Comics, Lost World is the story of Hunt Bowman, the only survivor of humanity after the Earth had been invaded and conquered by the terrible Volta, some beings of reptilian appearance with uniforms that resembled those of the Nazi soldiers. Bowman was accompanied by Lyssa, a sculptural blonde who had been a queen without a kingdom since she was a descendant of humans who had colonized another planet that had also been decimated by the Volta. In the middle of an adventure in which they visited the planet of Lyssa and returned to Earth, Lyssa explained to the illiterate Bowman details of the ancient world. Then they walked the streets of Chicago in ruins and covered with vegetation, Washington collapsed, and the coastal cities besieged by the monstrous Volta men. Also, from time to time they found other humans with whom they worked brief alliances in their fight against the invaders. The series was drawn by several artists, Rudy Palais, Lily Renée, Graham Engals and George Evans. Although the story was signed by "Thorncliffe Herrick," this was a pseudonym under which several authors would have worked, among them, the science writer fiction Jerome Bixby.

Ad published at the end of some episodes of The Lost World.

In short, The Lost World was a sci-fi comic in the style of the 40s, with its futuristic heroes dressed as ancient warriors (or as ancient warriors from movies), with dinosaurs and other unlikely monsters and with some very funny space invaders. For the young American readers, The Lost World could mean some kind of subtle escapism of the war that was happening at the other side of the Atlantic. Although the Volta men's uniforms would remind the German enemy, or, at the end of some episode, it appears a small ad encouraging to buy army bonds. It is, perhaps involuntarily, a milestone work, as we said it is, as far as we know, the first post-apocalypse fiction created for comics. Having had several writers and cartoonists who were not always familiar with the work of their predecessors makes it fall into involuntary errors and eclecticism, the Volta went from speaking an average English to a jargon equal to Star Wars Yoda, reversing the order of what they said. The clothes and hairstyles of Lyssa and Hunt were also changing according to the artist on duty. But these incongruities, rather than being flaws, give the series a naive charm. Like almost all science fiction, more than a story about a future that we do not know, this lost world is actually a testimony of the times in which it was created. At the end of the war, the series would be prolonged until 1953, almost until the last number of Planet Comics and arriving to complete 49 episodes.

Finally, The Lost World, like all the comics published by Fiction House, was never registered, so it is in public domain. That means, anyone who wants to make a remake, a film, a literary or theatrical adaptation, is totally free to do so.

Covers of issues 33 and 35 of Planet Comics, art by Lily Renée.

Links

Download all issues of Planet Comics

"The Lost World" in Pappy's Golden Age

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footballghana · 5 years ago

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Is Atletico Madrid midfielder Partey on the verge of Premier League move?

Arsenal are reportedly ramping up their summer pursuit of Thomas Partey, and it is clear to see why he is a player in such high demand.

The Daily Express claims that The Gunners are 'upping their interest' in the Atletico Madrid midfielder - just the latest report in a long-rumoured transfer.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic will leave many clubs seeking suitable ways of structuring deals, but Partey's intentions and his reachable £45m buyout clause make him one of Europe's most sought-after players.

Talk of an imminent switch to the Gunners gathered momentum when Partey's father, Jacob, told Ghanaian radio station Entsie en Tru FM recently: "Arsenal would be good for him, they have lots of followers in Ghana. He'd be happy if he went to Arsenal."

Atletico are even willing to offer Partey double his current £65,000-a-week wages and are keen to insert a new £91m buyout clause in his contract to fend off interest from elsewhere.

Arsenal are not the only European club to have been linked with the player plucked from Ghanaian club Odometah FC in 2012. Juventus and Manchester United are also said to be paying close attention to developments.

With Partey's current Atletico contract still having three years to run, Sky Sports spoke to Spanish football expert Graham Hunter about the possibility of him moving to the Premier League.

Could Atletico's finances dictate Partey departure?

Atletico accrued £178m in debt with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim's company Inbursa in order to facilitate their move to the Wanda Metropolitano - and that is not due to be paid off in full until 2028.

Diego Simeone is the world's highest-paid manager, and while he has taken a 70 per cent pay cut from his £36.2m salary, Atletico will be feeling the financial strain of the pandemic more than most clubs - less than a year after Joao Felix's arrival for a club-record £113m from Benfica.

"Nobody knows how much clubs are going to lose financially in the current climate," Hunter began to Sky Sports.

"Atleti will have received a tremendous amount of money from a quite brilliant Champions League campaign but that has been curtailed. They would have expected to be playing in a Champions League semi-final match, and they'd have been paid more money by UEFA.

"I believe they're close to €70m ahead financially because of their participation and success in the Champions League this season due to the new funding structure which is so extraordinary.

"But their debt probably does mean a few clubs are going to be more fortunate going to Atleti and asking about some of their players than they would have been in other situations."

Will Atletico view Llorente as Partey replacement?

It was in the last significant match prior to football's shutdown that Marcos Llorente announced himself as Partey's potential successor. Llorente had only scored three career goals before his two in extra-time to knock defending champions Liverpool out of the Champions League.

Partey played in a deeper role to allow Llorente the freedom to join the attack, but Hunter believes his natural defensive qualities would soften the blow if Atletico were to sell their chief destroyer.

"From Atleti's side, although Partey has been for a long time a significantly important player, there is some degree of manoeuvrability because Marcos Llorente could come in. Partey is much happier sitting in an area, controlling the flow of games, blocking, and building attacks again.

"Llorente is not an identical footballer - he's much more athletic and more prone to interceding in situations and he obviously scored crucial goals at Anfield. He is a player who stood out for Alaves on loan from Real Madrid and genuinely looked a top-class footballer there.

"When he went back to Real, I don't think anyone is sure why, in football terms, he and Zinedine Zidane didn't hit it off. Now, he's at Atleti going into his second season there and he is someone like Partey who's really learned from working under Diego Simeone.

"Partey's development under Simeone has been huge, and with Llorente there, Atletico need to consider whether they can afford to let their Ghanaian international go and gain financially from a deal to Arsenal. Without Llorente at the club, losing Partey would be significantly more testing for Atleti than it is right now."

How would Partey fit in at Arsenal?

Graphic courtesy of Statsbomb

Granit Xhaka could be the player in most danger of losing his place in Arteta's side were Partey to move to North London.

Arsenal would not turn to Partey for creativity from midfield if he were to join; Koke (56) and Hector Herrera (20) have created more chances than his 17 in La Liga.

Conversely, of all the midfielders in La Liga, only former Manchester City destroyer Fernando has received more yellow cards at Sevilla than the 26-year-old's 12, underlying his tenacious approach at the other end of the pitch.

Hunter added: "Partey speaks decent English, so that wouldn't be an obstacle from him were he to go to the Premier League. He's still at an age where the pace and the physicality of the Premier League wouldn't be beyond him. He's not the quickest, but he's an athlete that keeps going.

"I don't imagine for a second that he grew up idolising Mikel Arteta, but because of the amount of English football that's shown in Ghana, and because of the role that Arteta played as a midfielder in the Premier League, I'm sure Partey will feel he would be working for a coach who would be able to educate him still further in the arts of organising the centre of midfield."

Could the pandemic scupper a potential move?

Like all aspects of life, football has been hit hard by the pandemic - and one area without exemption is player recruitment.

The financial significance is being felt to varying degrees depending on the size of the club and its financial model - and while Hunter believes there will be a "downsizing of overall outlay", Partey's reported £45m release clause makes him good value for money.

"Certainly, the transfer market will be determined by the impact the global shutdown has had and teams will have to tailor their expenditure in a different way given that for a long period they will have had less revenue.

"Clubs will be sensitive to the fact there's been a really grave impact on all our populations, but I think that football will continue respectfully. The difference in what clubs are going to want to spend on players will be governed by their own internal book-keeping, and I think there will be a downsizing of overall outlay.

"A lot of clubs won't be able to buy at margins that they previously thought were acceptable, just because they won't have the capacity that they expected to have.

Graphic courtesy of Statsbomb

"Partey still represents very good value given his buyout clause, something which is very normal in Spain. It's too low and Atletico were in discussions about extending his contract and increasing his buyout before the lockdown.

"This would have been beneficial for him and for the club and detrimental for a club like Arsenal. He's an extremely valuable and popular player for Atleti, having also played at centre-back and right-back under Simeone.

"In one game earlier this season, Partey was used as a second striker when Cholo [Simeone] was looking for a goal - a goal he would then help produce. He's a footballer who primarily plays in a similar position as Arteta and Simeone did, but he has flexibility that adds to his value when it comes to weighing up what should be spent on him."

Could Lacazette be included in a potential swap deal?

It was reported in April by The Sun that Arsenal were willing to offer Alexandre Lacazette in a part-exchange deal, while there were further claims in Spain that the Frenchman had been in contact with Antoine Griezmann to request information about Simeone's management style.

Lacazette moved to deny those rumours on social media, and Hunter believes that while Atletico need to increase the number of goals in their team, the 29-year-old does not fit the club's striker profile.

"Right now, Atletico need the stability of a cash injection, and I think that would be more attractive on balance, but the current team's primary flaw at the moment is a lack of goals.

"It's something that has actually dogged them for some time: they've scored 43 goals in 33 league games - just over a goal a game.

"They still defend well, perhaps not quite as miserly as they used to, but Barcelona have scored nearly double Atleti's goals (74) while Real Madrid (60) have got 17 more, so these are really significant numbers if you want to be challenging to win trophies and to be in the top four of La Liga.

"Atleti are currently outside of the top four only by a point, but to not get into the Champions League next season would be very debilitating for the club financially. There is a need for goals, and whether Lacazette has all the requisites and specifically has the right age profile is questionable.

"If you look at the majority of strikers they've purchased in their recent history, they tend to be in their very early 20s and they pick well. Lacazette has got the talent and the pace, there's no question about that, but whether he's what Atleti need right now with his salary, I'd be a little unsure."

Source: skysports.com

source: https://footballghana.com/

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terabitweb · 6 years ago

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Original Post from Security Affairs Author: Pierluigi Paganini

Experts have spotted the first mass-hacking campaign exploiting the BlueKeep exploit, crooks leverage the exploit to install a cryptocurrency miner.

Security researchers have spotted the first mass-hacking campaign exploiting the BlueKeep exploit, the attack aims at installing a cryptocurrency miner on the infected systems.

In May, Microsoft warned users to update their systems to address the remote code execution vulnerability dubbed BlueKeep, A few days later, the National Security Agency (NSA) also urged Windows users and administrators to install security updates to address BlueKeep flaw (aka CVE-2019-0708).

In June the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the U.S. DHS on also issued an alert for the same issue.

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2019-0708, impacts the Windows Remote Desktop Services (RDS) and was addressed by Microsoft with May 2019 Patch Tuesday updates. BlueKeep is a wormable flaw that can be exploited by malware authors to create malicious code with WannaCry capabilities.

As explained by Microsoft, this vulnerability could be exploited by malware with wormable capabilities, it could be exploited without user interaction, making it possible for malware to spread in an uncontrolled way into the target networks.

Instead, a hacker group has been using a demo BlueKeep exploit released by the Metasploit team back in September to hack into unpatched Windows systems and install a cryptocurrency miner.

According to the experts, this is the first attempt to exploit the BlueKeep RDP vulnerability in mass-hacking attacks.

Over the last months, many security experts have developed their own exploit code for this issue without publicly disclosing it for obvious reasons.

Microsoft has released patches for Windows 7, Server 2008, XP and Server 2003. Windows 7 and Server 2008 users can prevent unauthenticated attacks by enabling Network Level Authentication (NLA), and the threat can also be mitigated by blocking TCP port 3389.

Security experts warned it was a matter of time before threat actors will start exploiting it in the wild and now it is happening. The researcher Zǝɹosum0x0 announced to have has developed a module for the popular Metasploit penetration testing framework to exploit the critical BlueKeep flaw.

The Metasploit module could be used to trigger the BlueKeep flaw on vulnerable Windows XP, 7, and Server 2008, but the expert has not publicly disclosed it to avoid threat actors abusing it.

After the disclosure of the flaw, the popular expert Robert Graham scanned the Internet for vulnerable systems. He discovered more than 923,000 potentially vulnerable devices using the masscan port scanner and a modified version of rdpscan,

Yesterday, the popular expert Kevin Beaumont observed some of its EternalPot RDP honeypots crashing after being attacked.

huh, the EternalPot RDP honeypots have all started BSOD’ing recently. They only expose port 3389. pic.twitter.com/VdiKoqAwkr

— Kevin Beaumont (@GossiTheDog) November 2, 2019

The popular expert Marcus Hutchins analyzed data shared by Beaumont and confirmed that attacks the honeypot systems were hit by attackers leveraging the BlueKeep exploits to deliver a Monero Miner.

“Kevin kindly shared the crash dump with us and following this lead, we discovered the sample was being used in a mass exploitation attempt. Due to only smaller size kernel dumps being enabled, it is difficult to arrive at a definite root cause.” reads a blog post published by Hutchins.

“Finally, we confirm this segment points to executable shellcode. At this point we can assert valid BlueKeep exploit attempts in the wild, with shellcode that even matches that of the shellcode in the BlueKeep metasploit module!”

The exploit code includes a sequence of encoded PowerShell commands that compose the attack chain, the last payload is an executable binary, a Monero Miner, downloaded from a remote server and executed on the targeted systems.

Hutchins pointed out that the malicious code involved in the massive attack doesn’t implement self-spreading capabilities.

Currently there is no news about the extent of this attack, it’s unclear how many Windows systems have been compromised with the Monero miner.

“Although this alleged activity is concerning, the information security community (correctly) predicted much worse potential scenarios. Based on our data we are not seeing a spike in indiscriminate scanning on the vulnerable port like we saw when EternalBlue was wormed across the Internet in what is now known as the WannaCry attack.” concludes the expert. “It seems likely that a low-level actor scanned the Internet and opportunistically infected vulnerable hosts using out-of-the-box penetration testing utilities.”

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, BlueKeep)

The post First Cyber Attack ‘Mass Exploiting’ BlueKeep RDP Flaw Spotted in the Wild appeared first on Security Affairs.

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Go to Source Author: Pierluigi Paganini First Cyber Attack ‘Mass Exploiting’ BlueKeep RDP Flaw Spotted in the Wild Original Post from Security Affairs Author: Pierluigi Paganini Experts have spotted the first mass-hacking campaign exploiting the…

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