Features

WASHINGTON — CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity company behind a massive global IT outage, is the leader in its sector, known for building software defences for the cloud computing age and exposing Russian and North Korean threats.

Based in Austin, Texas, the company was founded in 2011 by George Kurtz, Dmitri Alperovitch and Gregg Marston.

Both Kurtz and Alperovitch had extensive backgrounds in cybersecurity, working at companies like McAfee.

Two years after its founding, CrowdStrike launched its signature product, the Falcon platform.

Top player 

Crucially, the company embraced a “cloud-first” model to reduce big computing needs on customers and provide more effective protection.

In particular, remote computing enables updates to be carried out quickly and regularly, something that failed spectacularly in Friday’s outage when an update proved incompatible with computers running on Microsoft software.

Rather than just focusing on malware and antivirus products, the founders wanted to shift attention to identifying and stopping the attackers themselves and their techniques.

“CrowdStrike is one of the best-known cybersecurity companies around,” said Michael Daniel, who worked as the White House cybersecurity coordinator during the Barack Obama administration.

“It provides typically what we think of as sort of endpoint protection, meaning that it’s actually got software running on a server, or on a particular device, like a laptop or a desktop, and it’s scanning for potential malware connections to bad domain names,” he said.

“It’s looking for behaviour that might be unusual — that sort of thing,” said Daniel, who now runs the Cyber Threat Alliance.

A report published this year by CrowdStrike estimates that 70 per cent of attacks do not include viruses, but were rather manipulations carried out directly by hackers, who often use stolen or recovered credentials.

The company’s share price was down by about 12 per cent on Wall Street on Friday.

CrowdStrike became a publicly traded company in 2019, and in 2023 the group generated sales of $3.05 billion, up 36 per cent year-on-year.

Boosted by the wave of so-called generative AI, which requires the development of additional capabilities in the cloud, CrowdStrike raised its annual forecasts in June.

Although its business has been booming, the group is still struggling with profitability.

In 2023, it recorded a net profit of just $89 million, its first annual profit since its creation.

The company’s main competitors are Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne, both standalone cybersecurity firms.

But cloud computing giants Microsoft, Amazon and Google provide their own cybersecurity software and are also rivals.

CrowdStrike, which is also a cyber intelligence company, made headlines when it helped investigate several high-profile cyber attacks.

Most famously, in 2014, CrowdStrike discovered evidence linking North Korean actors to the hacking of servers at Sony Pictures.

The hackers stole large amounts of data and threatened terrorist acts against movie theaters to prevent the release of “The Interview”, a comedy about North Korea’s leader.

The studio initially cancelled the movie’s theatrical release, but reversed its decision after criticism.

Sony estimated the direct costs of the hack to be $35 million for investigating and remediating the breach.

CrowdStrike also helped investigate the 2015-2016 cyber attacks on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in the United States and their connection to Russian intelligence services.

In December 2016, CrowdStrike released a report stating that a Russian government-affiliated group called Fancy Bear had hacked a Ukrainian artillery app, potentially causing significant losses to Ukrainian artillery units in their fight against Moscow-backed separatists.

However, this assessment was later disputed by some organisations and CrowdStrike rolled back some of the claims.

Criticism of Microsoft 

In recent months, CrowdStrike has criticised Microsoft for its lapses on cybersecurity as the Windows maker admitted to vulnerabilities and hackings by outside actors.

Among other criticisms, CrowdStrike slammed Microsoft for still doing business in China.

“You’re telling the public they can’t use Huawei, and they can’t let kids watch dance videos on TikTok because China is going to collect intelligence,” Shawn Henry, chief security officer at CrowdStrike, said last year.

“Yet, the most ubiquitous software, which is used throughout the government and throughout every single corporation in this country and around the world, has engineers in China working on their software,” Henry told Forbes.

ROME — Victims who perished in Pompeii after the devastating 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius may have been killed by a simultaneous earthquake, according to new research published on Thursday.

Scholars have debated for decades whether seismic activity occurred during the eruption of Vesuvius in southern Italy nearly 2,000 years ago, and not just before it, as reported by Pliny the Younger, an author and administrator in Ancient Rome, in his letters.

The article published on Thursday in the academic journal “Frontiers in Earth Science” takes a new look at the now world-famous archaeological site, arguing that one or more concurrent earthquakes were “a contributing cause of building collapse and death of the inhabitants”.

“Our conclusions suggest that the effects of the collapse of buildings triggered by syn-eruptive seismicity [seismic activity at the time of an eruption] should be regarded as an additional cause of death in the ancient Pompeii,” it said.

Archaeologists estimate that 15 to 20 per cent of Pompeii’s population died in the eruption, mostly from thermal shock as a giant cloud of gases and ash covered the city.

Volcanic ash then buried the Roman city, perfectly preserving the homes, public buildings, objects and even the people until its discovery in the late 16th century.

In May 2023, archaeologists uncovered the skeletons of two men who appeared to have been killed not by heat and clouds of fiery gas and ash but from trauma due to collapsed walls — providing precious new data.

One of the victims was discovered with his left hand raised, as if to protect his head.

“It is worth noting that such traumas are analogous to those of individuals involved in modern earthquakes,” wrote the authors, who determined that the collapsed walls were not due to falling stones and debris but to seismic activity.

“In a broader view that takes into account the whole city, we consider, as a working hypothesis, that the casualties caused by seismically triggered building failures may not be limited to the two individuals,” the authors wrote.

The intersection of phenomena from both volcanic and seismic activity requires a multidisciplinary approach, the study argues, with the collaboration of both archaeologists and earth scientists.

LOS ANGELES, United States — Set in the chaotic world of a top restaurant kitchen, where each chef has their own unique skill set and emotional baggage, “The Bear” on Wednesday broke the Emmys record with the most nominations for a comedy in a single year.

What makes the show’s latest haul of 23 nods even more remarkable is that, for many critics, “The Bear” is barely a comedy at all, dealing with hard-hitting issues from death and mourning to betrayal and emotional abuse.

“You find laughter in grief,” said Ebon Moss-Bachrach, the actor who won an Emmy at the last gala playing restaurant manager Richie, and is nominated again this time around.

“One of the strengths of the show — and one of the reasons that it’s connected with so many people — is I think grief is the river that runs through all of us,” he told a press conference before Wednesday’s announcement.

The show’s latest, historic nominations count was for season two of “The Bear”, which aired last summer.

Nominally, it charted the race to open a daring, experimental new fine-dining restaurant, from the ashes of a disheveled family-run sandwich joint.

But characters dealt with a loved one’s suicide, attended addiction counselling, cared for terminally ill relatives, experienced panic attacks and generally tore each other apart.

“The show does have its moments, but it also has very light moments, too, very beautiful moments, too,” insisted Ayo Edebiri, who has also won an Emmy, and is nominated again, as Sydney.

‘Chuckle fests’ 

The question of whether “The Bear” is a comedy has been endlessly debated in entertainment industry circles.

The designation is important because the Emmys — the small-screen version of the Oscars — splits contenders into drama, comedy and limited series.

Some have claimed entering “The Bear” as a comedy was a strategic move by producers, allowing it to bypass big hitters in drama like recent Emmys juggernaut “Succession”, and therefore amass more awards.

But the comedy category more generally, “has taken a more serious turn”, noted Variety’s Clayton Davis.

Gone are the days of “clear-cut, humor-filled chuckle fests” like “Frasier” and “Seinfeld”.

Shows like “Fleabag” and “Barry” have straddled the line with drama, and taken viewers to dark places, with enormous success, he wrote recently.

Still, according to The Daily Beast, “The Bear” is a true comedy, as it “consistently finds humor in horrible events”.

Writer Sarah John pointed to scenes in which a character deadpans that she doesn’t know her late mom very well because “of the whole dead thing”, and another in which a character is accidentally stabbed in a fast-paced “comedy of errors”.

“More comedies should embrace the fact that humour can still be found in times of real strife,” she wrote.

‘Awards season’ 

Regardless, the debate has not hurt “The Bear” in awards terms.

Its third season, shot early this year, launched in the United States last month.

Reports that a fourth season had been filmed back-to-back with the third were “not exactly” confirmed by the cast, who admitted: “We did something like that.”

“We’d just kind of come off the success of awards season and stuff, and so yeah, I was very anxious,” the show’s star, Jeremy Allen White, said of returning to the set in February.

White took home the lead actor prize at the last Emmys, and is the firm favourite to repeat in September.

“The pressure is very real. But then after a couple weeks of getting back around these guys and our beautiful crew... it feels fun again and it all feels possible again.”

LOS ANGELES, United States — Hit series “Shogun” “The Bear” and “Baby Reindeer” are expected to rack up nominations for this year’s Emmys as the contenders for television’s version of the Oscars are unveiled on  Wednesday.

Nominees will be announced in a live-streamed ceremony starting at 8:30 am Pacific time (15:30 GMT), after which final-round voting begins for the 76th Emmy Awards, set for September 15.

Here are five things to look out for:

‘Shogun’ brings the drama 

“Shogun” — adapted from James Clavell’s historical fiction novel — transported viewers to early 17th-century Japan.

Starting from the perspective of a marooned English sailor, its scope widens over 10 acclaimed episodes to span the intricate and deadly court politics of the era, fleshing out a remarkable cast of Japanese heroes and villains.

With another two seasons already in the works, it is a hot favourite in this year’s drama categories.

“Because it’s got everything going for it in terms of acting, writing, directing” and many technical categories, “Shogun is probably going to be the top one,” Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond told AFP.

“Shogun” faces competition from the final season of Netflix’s British royal saga “The Crown,” and Apple’s “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston.

‘Bear’ continues rampage? 

Set in a chaotic Chicago restaurant run by a group of close-knit but abrasive and occasionally abusive chefs, “The Bear” was a big winner for its debut season at last year’s Emmys.

It returned with an even more ambitious and experimental second run.

Sumptuous montages of Michelin star-level dishes were paired with extraordinary episodes like “Fishes” — an hour-long portrait of a dysfunctional family tearing itself apart over one excruciating dinner.

Bizarrely entered in the Emmys’ comedy categories, despite dealing with hard-hitting issues like grief and addiction, “The Bear” is expected to contend again.

It is up against shows including “Hacks”, “Abbott Elementary”, “Only Murders in the Building” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.

‘Baby Reindeer’ controversy 

Limited series, for shows that end after a single season, is a category always packed with water-cooler hits. But this year, one made far more noise than the rest.

Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer”, adapted from Scottish comedian Richard Gadd’s pitch-black one-man show about his encounters with a female stalker, was a global phenomenon.

It was billed as a “true story” — a claim that helped lure audiences, but sparked a lawsuit from a British woman who says she was the inspiration for the stalker and is demanding $170 million in damages.

“I don’t think the controversy is going to hurt it in terms of nominations,” said Hammond.

“Baby Reindeer” is in contention against the likes of “Fargo”, “True Detective”, “Ripley” and “Lessons in Chemistry”.

Deja vu 

It often feels that award shows like the Emmys come round faster with each passing year. But this time, it really is true.

The 76th Emmy Awards, scheduled for September 15, will be the second to take place in 2024, after last year’s ceremony was postponed to January due to Hollywood strikes.

Complicating matters further, some shows like “The Bear” have recently released new seasons that will not become eligible for awards until the 2025 Emmys.

Confused? The upcoming edition of the Emmys will honour television series that were broadcast between June 2023 and May 2024.

Nominations announcement 

Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) unveil the nominations this Wednesday from 8:30 am in Los Angeles (15:30 GMT).

Voting members of the US-based Television Academy will then have a month to catch up on their viewing, before final-round voting takes place in mid-August.

NEW YORK — As much of America baked in heat waves this week, the relatively poor New York borough of the Bronx suffered disproportionately.

Reinaldo Morales, a 68-year-old military veteran, went to a seniors’ community centre with air conditioning because turning it on at home is too costly.

“We live in a cement jungle,” he said.

“It’s nice that they have a cooling center like this. But the idea that we can’t even afford to cool our home is outrageous,” said Morales.

Temperatures soared as high as 35ºC this week in New York, far from the 48ºC that roasted Las Vegas.

But one image here stuck out: a swing bridge linking the Bronx and Manhattan got stuck in the half-open position for hours on Monday as the heat expanded the metal in its hydraulics. Boats pumped water to cool it off.

The Bronx endures problems with poverty, healthcare and air pollution, and some of its neighbourhoods suffered more than others in the heat because of a lack of trees to cool things off.

“We have limited shading so it does get very hot especially when the sun is at its peak,” said Sandra Arroyo, programme director of Casa Boricua, the seniors’ centre where Morales went to cool off.

Many residents of the Bronx are low-earning Latinos or African Americans, who say the heat-absorbing buildings that line street after street make life — and even breathing — difficult in the scorching, muggy New York summer.

“You walk a block and you are suffocating,” said Juan Lorenzo, a 72-year-old Dominican.

“You just get really tired,” added Stephanie Rodriguez, a 21-year-old cashier watching her two-year-old son play in water spouts at the only large park in all of the borough.

“We need more green spaces,” said Arif Ullah, head of a community organisation called South Bronx Unite.

All along one bank of the Harlem River in the Bronx stand waste treatment facilities, a power plant and warehouses — all sources of industry and thus, more heat.

Nearby sits a small shadeless kids park, under a series of highway overpasses.

Ullah said racist urban policies have allowed communities like his to become urban heat islands that lead to health problems.

“And really, it’s a matter of life or death,” he said.

Neighbourhoods like Hunts Point and Mott Haven in the south of the Bronx have above-average rates of emergency room visits for respiratory problems attributable to pollution, according to a report issued in April by the New York city government, its first to address the issue of what is known as environmental justice.

The city says around 350 people in New York die each year because of the heat or health problems made worse by it, and Black residents are hit twice as often as their white counterparts.

The city says aggravating factors include a lack of air conditioning at home, a situation more common in the Bronx than New York’s other boroughs.

Deadly heat waves in major cities in America and elsewhere have become more common because of climate change and things will only get worse, experts say.

By Nathalie Khalaf,
Holistic Counsellor Honouring

None of us will remember the first moments when we were born and we may not wish to! But I wonder how we would feel if we could remember that first moment of euphoria when we were finally able to physically crawl or walk away from our parents and caregivers.

How wonderful it would be to grow up being told and taught that we are all wonderful and unique individuals just the way we are.  

 Instead, many children are moulded into what suits society.

When we understand we are all born as unique individuals, not clones of each other, it becomes easier to appreciate and respect everyone for who they are.

Everybody is a genius

I’m often reminded of this quote by Albert Einstein as I find it captures the topic of my article this month: “Everybody is a genius.

But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Many children are brought up in mainstream thought that they should all be the same, start talking at the same age, start walking at the same age and be good at all the same subjects and topics at school.

How many times did you feel shame or hopelessness because of certain topics you simply could not excel at? I am certain this rings a bell with most of us.

If children are “moulded” into thinking and being a certain way — other than their own natural way — then so many things are at risk.

Criticism and judgement

Children may start feeling that there is something wrong if they hear parents or school teachers claim that they are too slow, too short, too tall, too fat, not talkative enough, not calm and attentive enough, not enough of a leader, not active, too active, and the list continues.

All of this is criticism and judgment which a child absorbs and starts believing. 

But adults here are not always to blame. Most people simply act out of their knowledge which comes from their upbringing, but others may be using children to bolster their societal image, attempting to compensate for perceived personal failures.

Fostering self-love

Eventually, children may learn to foster their self-love, believe in who they are and get the courage to simply fall back into ‘themselves’ and what feels natural.

Others are not always as fortunate and continue todiligently strive to conform to the image their parents or society have set for them — not accepting them fully as they are.

Anxiety and anger

Besides the feelings of shame for who we are and not being good enough to make our parents happy nor our teachers, we start feeling a lot of fear, anxiety and anger.

These emotional side effects may lead to depression and a lot of physical illnesses later on in life.

Honouring the child

The solution is to honour children and listen to their needs and what may already be driving them.

Simultaneously guiding them through education in a gentle fashion.

I read that Finland is the first to offer a learning environment free from academic pressure.

But when we live elsewhere and there are the normal human pressures of competition and we all strive to take our place in the world, the easiest and most crucial step is to help children build their own self-esteem and confidence through self-love.

The third energy point

In my article about the seven main energy points and the seven chakras, I very briefly mentioned a few points on each.

 Our third energy point, the solar plexus, is the one that highly affects our digestive system.

The solar plexus is regarded as our internal power engine.

Between the ages of 4 and 7, children start building their personality and character, stating their opinions even when they are clueless.

Practice exerting their authority and all of that helps in the building character and autonomy.

If children feel supported with love and acceptance, they will learn to build their own inner love and acceptance, making the energy flow in the body smoothly, with fewer chances of having fear override and cause shame.

Physically, a nurturing loving calm upbringing helps children enjoy a healthy gut system as they are much less likely to stress and experience anxiety.

A nurturing loving calm upbringing helps children enjoy a healthy gut system We all know that stress is the number one energetic cause of all physical diseases.

Stress has a heavy negative effect on our digestive system.

When children do not feel loved or supported and are criticised or judged more often than not, they may start harbouring anger.

And unless anger is accepted and expressed out of the body, it may cause liver disease and many other physical issues later on in life.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

PARIS — A planet relatively close to Earth could be the first ever detected with a potentially life-sustaining liquid ocean outside our Solar System, according to scientists using the James Webb space telescope.

More than 5,000 planets have been discovered outside of the Solar System so far, but only a handful are in what is called the “Goldilocks zone” — neither too hot or too cold — that could host liquid water, a key ingredient for life.

The exoplanet LHS 1140 b is one of the few in this habitable zone, and has been thoroughly scrutinised since it was first discovered in 2017.

It sits 48 light years from Earth, which equates to more than 450 trillion kilometres — relatively close in the vast distances of space.

The exoplanet had been thought to be a small gas giant called a “mini-Neptune” with an atmosphere too thick with hydrogen and helium to support alien life.

However, new observations from the Webb telescope have confirmed that the exoplanet is in fact a rocky “super-Earth”.

It is 1.7 times bigger than Earth, but has 5.6 times its mass, according to a study published late Wednesday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

‘Best bet’ for ocean world 

The Webb telescope was able to analyse the planet’s atmosphere as it passed in front of its star.

There were no signs of hydrogen or helium, which ruled out that the planet was a mini-Neptune.

The density of the planet indicates that it “actually has large quantities of water”, study co-author Martin Turbet of France’s CNRS scientific research centre told AFP.

It could be a truly immense amount of water.

All the water in Earth’s oceans represent only 0.02 per cent of its mass. But 10 to 20 per cent of the exoplanet’s mass was estimated to be water.

Whether or not this water is in liquid or ice form depends on the planet’s atmosphere.

“We do not have direct evidence that it has an atmosphere, but several elements point in that direction,” Turbet said.

Lead study author Charles Cadieux, a PhD student at the University of Montreal, said that “of all currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140 b could well be our best bet to one day indirectly confirm liquid water on the surface of an alien world”.

One positive is that the planet is gently warmed by its red dwarf star, which is one-fifth the size of the Sun.

The exoplanet’s surface temperature should be fairly similar to that on Earth and Mars, Turbet said.

The presence of gasses such as carbon dioxide will play a key role in determining whether the planet is covered in ice or water.

Bull’s-eye ocean 

One possibility is that the surface is mostly ice, but there is a vast liquid ocean where the planet is most exposed to its star’s heat.

This ocean could measure about 4,000 kilometres in diameter, around half the surface area of the Atlantic Ocean, modelling suggested.

Or the liquid water could be hidden under a thick shell of ice, like on the moons Ganymede, Enceladus or Europa orbiting around Jupiter and Saturn.

Webb’s instrument spotted signs that suggest “the presence of nitrogen”, Cadieux said, adding that more research was needed to confirm the finding.

Nitrogen is found everywhere on Earth, and is thought to be another potentially ingredient for life.

The researchers are hoping to get a few more hours of the Webb’s telescope’s precious time to find out more about LHS 1140 b.

It will take at least a year to confirm whether the exoplanet has an atmosphere, and two or three more to detect the presence of carbon dioxide, the researchers estimated.

NEW YORK — The largest stegosaurus skeleton ever found is expected to fetch millions of dollars at auction in New York next week, likely fueling objections from paleontologists.

The fossil, estimated to be approximately 150 million years old, was put on display at Sotheby’s on Wednesday and will be exhibited there until its sale on July 17.

Named Apex, the giant skeleton — 3.3 metres tall — is billed as “the most complete and best-preserved” stegosaurus specimen of its size, counting 254 fossil bone elements of an approximate total of 319.

Such sales have become more frequent in recent years, drawing criticism from paleontologists, who say that these finds should be preserved in museums or other public spaces and not sold to private bidders.

“It’s a very, very rare animal, and to find one of this size and this completeness is phenomenal,” Cassandra Hatton, head of science and popular culture at Sotheby’s, told AFP.

The auction house estimates Apex’s value at $4-6 million, though still less than Stan, the world’s most complete tyrannosaurus rex skeleton sold in 2020 for a record $31.8 million.

Apex was discovered in May 2022 on the private land of paleontologist Jason Cooper. The auction house says it has collaborated with Cooper to “document the entire process, from discovery and excavation to restoration, preparation and mounting”, in order to guarantee the “highest standards and transparency”.

In 2022, Christie’s auction house had to withdraw a T-rex skeleton a few days before auction in Hong Kong, due to doubts about its authenticity.

Stegosaurus skeletons are already on display around the world, but according to Sotheby’s, Apex is 30 per cent larger than Sophie, the most complete stegosaurus on public display to date, which is housed in the Natural History Museum in London.

The debate around auctions of dinosaur fossils is one “I’ve heard a lot,” said Hatton.

“When you have a scientifically important specimen, the museums usually show up and find donors to bid on their behalf or they bid themselves.”

“Most of the people I work with are donating specimens to museums or loaning them to museums, they understand the significance and importance of these specimens.”

According to Sotheby’s, Cooper has already donated fossils to museums around the world.

WASHINGTON — The NASA astronaut knocks loudly three times on a what appears to be a nondescript door, and calls cheerfully: “You ready to come out?”

The reply is inaudible, but beneath his mask he appears to be grinning as he yanks the door open — and four scientists who have spent a year away from all other human contact, simulating a mission to Mars, spill out to cheers and applause.

Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell, Nathan Jones and team leader Kelly Haston have spent the past 378 days sealed inside the “Martian” habitat in Houston, Texas, part of NASA’s research into what it will take to put humans on the Red Planet.

They have been growing vegetables, conducting “Marswalks,” and operating under what NASA terms “additional stressors” — such as communication delays with “Earth”, including their families; isolation and confinement.

It’s the kind of experience that would make anyone who lived through pandemic lockdowns shudder — but all four were beaming as they reemerged on Saturday, their hair slightly more unruly and their emotion apparent.

“Hello. It’s actually so wonderful just to be able to say hello to you,” Haston, a biologist, said with a laugh.

“I really hope I don’t cry standing up here in front of all of you,” Jones, an emergency room doctor, said as he took to the microphone — and nearly doing just that several moments later as he spotted his wife in the crowd.

The habitat, dubbed Mars Dune Alpha, is a 3D printed 160 square-metre facility, complete with bedrooms, a gym, common areas and a vertical farm to grow food.

An outdoor area, separated by an airlock, is filled with red sand and is where the team donned suits to conduct their “Marswalks”, though it is still covered rather than being open air.

“They have spent more than a year in this habitat conducting crucial science, most of it nutrition-based and how that impacts their performace... as we prepare to send people on to the Red Planet,” Steve Koerner, deputy director at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, told the crowd.

“I’m very appreciative.”

This mission is the first of a series of three planned by NASA, grouped under the title CHAPEA — Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog.

A year-long mission simulating life on Mars took place in 2015-2016 in a habitat in Hawaii, and although NASA participated in it, it was not at the helm.

Under its Artemis program, America plans to send humans back to the Moon in order to learn how to live there long-term to help prepare a trip to Mars, sometime towards the end of the 2030s.