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In recent weeks, the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) and Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team detected Iran-based threat actor MERCURY leveraging exploitation of Log4j 2 vulnerabilities in SysAid applications against organizations all located in Israel. MSTIC assesses with high confidence that MERCURY’s observed activity was affiliated with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).

While MERCURY has used Log4j 2 exploits in the past, such as on vulnerable VMware apps, we have not seen this actor using SysAid apps as a vector for initial access until now. After gaining access, MERCURY establishes persistence, dumps credentials, and moves laterally within the targeted organization using both custom and well-known hacking tools, as well as built-in operating system tools for its hands-on-keyboard attack.

This blog details Microsoft’s analysis of observed MERCURY activity and related tools used in targeted attacks. This information is shared with our customers and industry partners to improve detection of these attacks, such as implementing detections against MERCURY’s tools in both Microsoft Defender Antivirus and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. As with any observed nation-state actor activity, Microsoft directly notifies customers that have been targeted or compromised, providing them with the information needed to secure their accounts.

MERCURY TTPs align with Iran-based nation-state actor

Microsoft assesses with moderate confidence that MERCURY exploited remote code execution vulnerabilities in Apache Log4j 2 (also referred to as “Log4Shell”) in vulnerable SysAid Server instances the targets were running. MERCURY has used Log4j 2 exploits in past campaigns as well. 

MSTIC assesses with high confidence that MERCURY is coordinating its operations in affiliation with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). According to the US Cyber Command, MuddyWater, a group we track as MERCURY, “is a subordinate element within the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security.”

The following are common MERCURY techniques and tooling:

• Adversary-in-the-mailbox phishing: MERCURY has a long history of spear-phishing its targets. Recently, there has been an uptick in the volume of these phishing attacks. The source of the phishing comes from compromised mailboxes and initiating previous email conversations with targets. MERCURY operators include links to or directly attach commercial remote access tools, such as ScreenConnect, in these initial phishing mails.
• Use of cloud file-sharing services: MERCURY utilizes commercially available file-sharing services as well as self-hosting resources for delivering payloads.
• Use of commercial remote access applications: The initial foothold on victims emerges via commercially available remote access applications. This allows MERCURY to gain elevated privileges and be able to transfer files, primarily PowerShell scripts, easily over to the victim’s environment.
• Tooling: MERCURY’s tools of choice tend to be Venom proxy tool, Ligolo reverse tunneling, and home-grown PowerShell programs.
• Targeting: MERCURY targets a variety of Middle Eastern-geolocated organizations. Mailbox victims correlate directly with organizations that do business with the Middle Eastern victims.

This latest activity sheds light on behavior MERCURY isn’t widely known for: scanning and exploiting a vulnerable application on a target’s device. They have been observed performing this activity in the past, but it is not very common. The exploits are derived from open source and sculpted to fit their needs. 

Observed actor activity

Initial access

On July 23 and 25, 2022, MERCURY was observed using exploits against vulnerable SysAid Server instances as its initial access vector. Based on observations from past campaigns and vulnerabilities found in target environments, Microsoft assess that the exploits used were most likely related to Log4j 2. The threat actor leveraged Log4j 2 exploits against VMware applications earlier in 2022 and likely looked for similarly vulnerable internet-facing apps. SysAid, which provides IT management tools, might have presented as an attractive target for its presence in the targeted country.

Exploiting SysAid successfully enables the threat actor to drop and leverage web shells to execute several commands, as listed below. Most commands are related to reconnaissance, with one encoded PowerShell that downloads the actor’s tool for lateral movement and persistence.

Executed commands:

• cmd.exe /C whoami
• cmd.exe /C powershell -exec bypass -w 1 -enc UwB….
• cmd.exe /C hostname
• cmd.exe /C ipconfig /all
• cmd.exe /C net user
• cmd.exe /C net localgroup administrators
• cmd.exe /C net user admin * /add
• cmd.exe /C net localgroup Administrators admin /add
• cmd.exe /C quser

Persistence

Once MERCURY has obtained access to the target organization, the threat actor establishes persistence using several methods, including:

• Dropping a web shell, providing effective and continued access to the compromised device.
• Adding a user and elevating their privileges to local administrator.
• Adding the leveraged tools in the startup folders and ASEP registry keys, ensuring their persistence upon device reboot.
• Stealing credentials.

The actor leverages the new local administrator user to connect through remote desktop protocol (RDP). During this session, the threat actor dumps credentials by leveraging the open-source application Mimikatz. We also observed MERCURY later performing additional credential dumping in SQL servers to steal other high privileged accounts, like service accounts.

Lateral movement

We observed MERCURY further using its foothold to compromise other devices within the target organizations by leveraging several methods, such as:

• Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to launch commands on devices within organizations.
• Remote services (leveraging RemCom tool) to run encoded PowerShell commands within organizations.

Most of the commands launched are meant to install tools on targets or perform reconnaissance to find domain administrator accounts.

Communication

Throughout the attack, the threat actor used different methods to communicate with their command-and-control (C2) server, including:

• Built-in operating system tools such as PowerShell
• Tunneling tool called vpnui.exe, a unique version of the open-source tool Ligolo
• Remote monitoring and management software called eHorus

Microsoft will continue to monitor MERCURY activity and implement protections for our customers. The current detections, advanced detections, and IOCs in place across our security products are detailed below. 

Recommended customer actions

The techniques used by the actor and described in the Observed actor activity section can be mitigated by adopting the security considerations provided below: 

• Check if you use SysAid in your network. If you do, apply security patches and update affected products and services as soon as possible. Refer to SysAid’s Important Update Regarding Apache Log4j for technical information about the vulnerabilities and mitigation recommendations.
• Refer to the detailed Guidance for preventing, detecting, and hunting for exploitation of the Log4j 2 vulnerability.
• Use the included indicators of compromise to investigate whether they exist in your environment and assess for potential intrusion. 
• Block in-bound traffic from IPs specified in the indicators of compromise table.  
• Review all authentication activity for remote access infrastructure, with a particular focus on accounts configured with single factor authentication, to confirm authenticity and investigate any anomalous activity. 
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to mitigate potentially compromised credentials and ensure that MFA is enforced for all remote connectivity. Note: Microsoft strongly encourages all customers download and use password-less solutions like Microsoft Authenticator to secure accounts. 

Indicators of compromise (IOCs)

The below list provides IOCs observed during our investigation. We encourage our customers to investigate these indicators in their environments and implement detections and protections to identify past related activity and prevent future attacks against their systems.

Indicator	Type	Description
hxxp://sygateway[.]com	Domain	First seen: May 16, 2022
91[.]121[.]240[.]104	IP address	First seen: May 17, 2022
164[.]132[.]237[.]64	IP address	First seen: November 26, 2021
e81a8f8ad804c4d83869d7806a303ff04f31cce376c5df8aada2e9db2c1eeb98	SHA-256	mimikatz.exe
416e937fb467b7092b9f038c1f1ea5ca831dd19ed478cca444a656b5d9440bb4	SHA-256	vpnui.exe Ligolo
25325dc4b8dcf3711e628d08854e97c49cfb904c08f6129ed1d432c6bfff576b	SHA-256	VBScript
3c2fe308c0a563e06263bbacf793bbe9b2259d795fcc36b953793a7e499e7f71	SHA-256	Remcom
3137413d086b188cd25ad5c6906fbb396554f36b41d5cff5a2176c28dd29fb0a	SHA-256	Web shell
87f317bbba0f50d033543e6ebab31665a74c206780798cef277781dfdd4c3f2f	SHA-256	Web shell
e4ca146095414dbe44d9ba2d702fd30d27214af5a0378351109d5f91bb69cdb6	SHA-256	Web shell
d2e2a0033157ff02d3668ef5cc56cb68c5540b97a359818c67bd3e37691b38c6	SHA-256	Web shell
3ca1778cd4c215f0f3bcfdd91186da116495f2d9c30ec22078eb4061ae4b5b1b	SHA-256	Web shell
bbfee9ef90814bf41e499d9608647a29d7451183e7fe25f472c56db9133f7e40	SHA-256	Web shell
b8206d45050df5f886afefa25f384bd517d5869ca37e08eba3500cda03bddfef	SHA-256	Web shell

NOTE: These indicators should not be considered exhaustive for this observed activity.

Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence

Community members and customers can find summary information and all IOCs from this blog post in the linked Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence portal article.

Detections

Microsoft Defender Antivirus

Microsoft Defender Antivirus detects attempted exploitation and post-exploitation activity and payloads. Turn on cloud-delivered protection to cover rapidly evolving attacker tools and techniques. Cloud-based machine learning protections block most new and unknown threats. Refer to the list of detection names related to exploitation of Log4j 2 vulnerabilities. Detections for the IOCs listed above are listed below:

• Backdoor:PHP/Remoteshell.V
• HackTool:Win32/LSADump
• VirTool:Win32/RemoteExec

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint customers should monitor the alert “Mercury Actor activity detected” for possible presence of the indicators of compromise listed above.

Reducing the attack surface

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint customers can turn on the following attack surface reduction rule to block or audit some observed activity associated with this threat:

• Block executable files from running unless they meet a prevalence, age, or trusted list criterion.

Detecting Log4j 2 exploitation

Alerts that indicate threat activity related to the exploitation of the Log4j 2 exploitation should be immediately investigated and remediated. Refer to the list of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint alerts that can indicate exploitation and exploitation attempts.

Detecting post-exploitation activity

Alerts with the following titles may indicate post-exploitation threat activity related to MERCURY activity described in this blog and should be immediately investigated and remediated. These alerts are supported on both Windows and Linux platforms:

Any alert title related to web shell threats, for example:

• An active ‘Remoteshell’ backdoor was blocked

Any alert title that mentions PowerShell, for example:

• Suspicious process executed PowerShell command
• A malicious PowerShell Cmdlet was invoked on the machine
• Suspicious PowerShell command line
• Suspicious PowerShell download or encoded command execution
• Suspicious remote PowerShell execution

Any alert title related to suspicious remote activity, for example:

• Suspicious RDP session
• An active ‘RemoteExec’ malware was blocked
• Suspicious service registration

Any alert related to persistence, for example:

• Anomaly detected in ASEP registry
• User account created under suspicious circumstances

Any alert title that mentions credential dumping activity or tools, for example:

• Malicious credential theft tool execution detected
• Credential dumping activity observed
• Mimikatz credential theft tool
• ‘DumpLsass’ malware was blocked on a Microsoft SQL server

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Microsoft 365 Defender customers can use threat and vulnerability management to identify and remediate devices that are vulnerable to Log4j 2 exploitation. A more comprehensive guidance on this capability can be found on this blog: Guidance for preventing, detecting, and hunting for exploitation of the Log4j 2 vulnerability.

Advanced hunting queries

Microsoft Sentinel

Microsoft Sentinel customers can use the following queries to look for the related malicious activity in their environments.

Identify MERCURY IOCs

The query below identifies matches based on IOCs shared in this post for the MERCURY actor across a range of common Microsoft Sentinel data sets:

• https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/Mercury_Log4j_August2022.yaml

Identify SysAid Server web shell creation

The query below looks for potential web shell creation by SysAid Server:

• https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/PotentialMercury_Webshell.yaml

Identify MERCURY PowerShell commands

The query below identifies instances of PowerShell commands used by the threat actor in command line data:

• https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/powershell_mercury.yaml

 In addition to the above, Microsoft Sentinel users should also look for possible Log4j 2 vulnerabilities, the details of which were shared in a previous blog post.

Microsoft 365 Defender

To locate related activity, Microsoft 365 Defender customers can run the following advanced hunting queries:

Potential WebShell creation by SysAisServer instance

DeviceFileEvents
| where InitiatingProcessFileName in~ ("java.exe", "javaw.exe") 
| where InitiatingProcessCommandLine has "SysAidServer" 
| where FileName endswith ".jsp"

Abnormal process out of SysAidServer instance

DeviceProcessEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(7d) 
| where InitiatingProcessFileName in~ ("java.exe", "javaw.exe") 
| where InitiatingProcessCommandLine has "SysAidServer" 
| summarize makeset(ProcessCommandLine), min(Timestamp), max(Timestamp) by DeviceId

PowerShell commands used by MERCURY

DeviceProcessEvents
| where FileName =~ "powershell.exe" and ProcessCommandLine has_cs "-exec bypass -w 1 -enc" 
| where ProcessCommandLine contains_cs "UwB0AGEAcgB0AC0ASgBvAGIAIAAtAFMAYwByAGkAcAB0AEIAbABvAGMAawAgAHsAKABzAGEAcABzACAAKAAiAHAA" 
| summarize makeset(ProcessCommandLine), makeset(InitiatingProcessCommandLine, 10), makeset(DeviceId), min(Timestamp), max(Timestamp) by DeviceId

Vulnerable Log4j 2 devices

Use this query to identify vulnerabilities in installed software on devices, surface file-level findings from the disk, and provide the ability to correlate them with additional context in advanced hunting.

DeviceTvmSoftwareVulnerabilities 
| where CveId in ("CVE-2021-44228", "CVE-2021-45046")

DeviceTvmSoftwareEvidenceBeta
| mv-expand DiskPaths
| where DiskPaths contains "log4j"
| project DeviceId, SoftwareName, SoftwareVendor, SoftwareVersion, DiskPaths

The post MERCURY leveraging Log4j 2 vulnerabilities in unpatched systems to target Israeli organizations appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Black Hat USA 2022 marked the twenty-fifth year that security researchers, security architects, and other security professionals have gathered to share the latest research, developments, and trends. Microsoft was among the companies participating in the conference, which was from August 6 to 11, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year’s event was hybrid, with some attendees attending in-person and others joining online.

We were excited to join members of the Black Hat security community representing 111 countries.¹ Along with more than 17,000 in-person attendees—and more than 15,000 virtual attendees—we heard security insights and shared the latest in Microsoft Security solutions, including two new security solutions—Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence to track threat actor activity and Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management to discover unknown and unmanaged resources that are visible and accessible from the internet.

Booth excitement

What energizes us the most about conferences like Black Hat is the opportunity to meet people. During the conference, we welcomed hundreds of security professionals to our booth. There, we talked about cybersecurity threats, shared our perspective on the need for comprehensive security, listened to their stories of cybersecurity challenges, and gave them demonstrations of the latest innovations from Microsoft Security in the threat intelligence and protection space, including Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting.

We’re passionate about security and it’s always a thrill to be among others who feel the same way. Our team in the booth was kept happily busy. Some attendees chatted in groups of two or more while others crowded around four demo stations—Microsoft Security Experts, threat protection, threat intelligence, and identity and access management—to see how Microsoft product solutions can help catch what others miss.

During our Diversity and Inclusion Hour on Wednesday, Black Hat attendees gathered in the Microsoft booth to socialize and talk about diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace. As a bonus, Microsoft enlisted a professional photographer to take headshots for anyone who attended and wanted to update their LinkedIn profiles.

Conference sessions

Microsoft Security team members stay up on the latest news, solutions, and strategies in the security world. We were thrilled when several of these security professionals received the opportunity to share their thought leadership insights with Black Hat attendees.

• “Advancing Investigations with Threat Intelligence”: Microsoft Incident Response Consultant MacKenzie Brown shared how Microsoft’s Detection and Response Team (DART) harnesses the power of threat intelligence while in the trenches helping customers challenged by cyberattacks. MacKenzie also walked through how DART responded to recent threats from the North Korean nation-state actor believed to be behind HolyGh0st and Lapus$. 163 attendees viewed the session virtually, which you can watch here.
• “AAD Joined Machines—The New Lateral Movement”: Microsoft Senior Security Researcher Mor Rubin talked about new research about a mechanism designed to allow authentication between Microsoft Azure Active Directory-joined machines. Mor also explored the foundation of the new network protocol, presented a way (and a tool) to perform pass-the-certificate attacks, and talked through an open-source solution that can help companies hunt for attacks.
• “CastGuard: Mitigating Type Confusion in C++”: Microsoft Software Security Engineer Joe Bialek discussed type confusion vulnerabilities, which have incredibly powerful primitives to exploit writers. Joe introduced a new mitigation called CastGuard that’s being deployed to a set of Windows components (with more in the works). With a tiny instruction sequence and the virtual function table pointer of an object, CastGuard helps prevent illegal static down-casts in C++ code.
• “Malware Classification With Machine Learning Enhanced by Windows Kernel Emulation”: Microsoft Security Software Engineer Dmitrijs Trizna presented a hybrid machine learning architecture that combines static and dynamic malware analysis methodologies. This architecture surpasses the capabilities of the modern AI classifiers and records a detection rate of 96.7 percent with a fixed false positive rate of 0.1 percent.

Conference social events

It wouldn’t be a conference without plenty of fun social events to get everyone chatting, networking, and celebrating the achievements of security professionals. At the Cybersecurity Women of the Year Awards (CSWY Awards) on August 9, 2022, attendees gathered at the Luxor, enjoyed a gourmet meal, and toasted to female cybersecurity and privacy leaders who are changing the world.

“The CSWY Awards recognize women protecting businesses, schools, and governments from cyber threats actors,” said Carmen Marsh, creator of the CSWY Awards. “We give security pros the opportunity to talk about what’s happening or not happening in cybersecurity and how to make it better. It’s wonderful to bring women from around the world to Las Vegas for this important event while creating inspiring role models for the new generation of cybersecurity professionals.”

As a Signature Sponsor, Microsoft was honored to recognize three barrier breakers serving as role models for future generations of cybersecurity professionals. Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Cloud and Microsoft 365 Security, Aanchal Gupta gave out the Cybersecurity Woman Privacy Woman Law Professional of the Year 2022 award, while Microsoft Senior Director of Security Narrative and Strategy, Shelli Strand awarded the Cybersecurity Woman Influencer of the Year 2022 award. Abhilasha Bhargav-Spantzel, Microsoft Partner Security Architect, gave out the Cybersecurity Woman Volunteer of the Year award.

After dinner and the awards ceremony, attendees networked and danced to a DJ spinning hits.

“Today, we have an incredible opportunity to attract a talented and impassioned generation of defenders and to change the deep gender disparity in our industry. I am so grateful to the Cybersecurity Woman of the Year program organizers for spotlighting the amazing work being done by those superheroes who are setting a powerful example for us all,” said Vasu Jakkal, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Security, Compliance, Identity, Management, and Privacy, “Microsoft is proud to take part in an event that is helping to cultivate inclusivity, inspire and facilitate mentorship, and celebrate the important field of cybersecurity.”

On August 10, 2022, Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) hosted Microsoft’s annual Researcher Celebration event at the Illuminarium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event brought together some of Microsoft’s Most Valuable Researchers (MVRs), and many security leaders and professionals. Attendees met with the head of MSRC, Aanchal Gupta, MSRC leadership, and other key Microsoft attendees to thank the MVRs and researcher community for their contributions. Check out the list of MSRC 2022 Most Valuable Researchers!

Throughout the evening, more than 500 guests from more than 200 organizations across the information security community participated in space-themed activities and experiences while connecting and re-connecting in person for the first time in many years. Thanks to everyone that attended and helped make the event memorable.

More threat intelligence resources

We can’t wait for future opportunities to connect with everyone again in person. Until then, there are a few ways for you to stay connected and up to date on the latest from Microsoft in threat intelligence solutions:

• Join us on September 15, 2022, for the free digital event Stop Ransomware with Microsoft Security to hear key insights from Microsoft’s leadership, including a fireside conversation between Charlie Bell, Executive Vice President of Microsoft Security, and Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Security, Compliance, Identity, and Privacy Business.
• Explore details on Microsoft’s threat intelligence solution in our blog post about new solutions for threat intelligence and attack surface management.
• Check out the latest Cyber Signals report.
• If you attended Black Hat and interacted with Microsoft, please share your feedback with us. 

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us at @MSFTSecurity for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

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¹Black Hat USA 2022 Closes on a Record Breaking Event in Las Vegas & Online, AP News. August 19, 2022.

The post Microsoft Security highlights from Black Hat USA 2022 appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

With the pandemic likely making you more conscious of germs and maybe even viruses, are you wondering how you can clean your laptop keyboard? Even if you’re not that serious about cleanliness, maybe one specific keycap got stuck and isn’t working, or perhaps your keyboard is feeling sticky and full of oils and debris.

The good news is that cleaning your laptop keyboard is actually very easy. There are a couple of different ways you can tidy it up. We’ll cover basic methods involving a simple wipedown, to more sophisticated methods like removing keys. We have your back with this guide, but we do have a warning first. Please, always make sure you unplug your laptop from power and turn the device off before proceeding with any of these steps. You don’t want to risk damage to your laptop.

What you’ll need

Compressed air – A compressed air can will help blow away debris that might be lodged under the keys. It’s also safe for your laptop’s keyboard. You can find this online, or at an office supplies store.

A damp microfiber cloth – Microfiber is a soft type of cloth that is typically used in cleaning electronics. It can pick up dust and debris that could be in between your keys. Be sure to lightly dampen the cloth with water (not soak it) so it’ll be extra easy to pick up dust.

Isopropyl alcohol – This agent is great for disinfecting surfaces and killing germs. It can also remove the sticky feeling from a dirty keyboard. It’s also safer than water on electronics. Make sure it’s rated at 70%, which is safe for electronics at the surface level.

Cottom ball or cotton swabs – You can use these in combination with the alcohol to swab down spots on your keyboard. Make sure to not soak them through, and just lightly dip these materials in the liquid.

A smartphone camera – If you end up removing keys, the camera will be useful for taking a picture and knowing how to put them back.

Step 1: A simple clean

To begin the process of cleaning your laptop keyboard, we suggest a simpler clean. This involves unplugging the laptop from any power, turning it over, and shaking it. Here’s more on the process.

1. Turn your laptop off and make sure it’s disconnected from any power source
2. Hold the laptop in both your hands in the air and shake it around, this will dislodge bigger materials or debris that might be trapped inside your device’s keyboard.

Usually, shaking the laptop around with it turned on the side should help remove whatever is trapped in the keyboard. If that doesn’t work and you can still see things under the keycaps, or feel sticky keys, then you can move on to the next step.

Step 2: Use compressed air

This second step is one that addresses a dirty keyboard or stuck keys. In fact, Apple suggested this as a workaround for stuck keys on the butterfly keyboard on older MacBook models. You’ll be using compressed air which can blow debris or dust out of your keyboard’s keycaps.  Just be careful to not spray the can upside down.

1. Insert the straw into the compressed air can
2. Hold the compressed air can up close to your laptop keyboard, pull or press on the trigger to activate the can (depending on the model of the can), and point it towards the region under the keycaps on your keyboard.
3. In a swift motion, keep spraying and releasing the air, and make your way around the keyboard deck until you’ve covered all areas

Once you use the compressed air, any large pieces of debris and dust should be removed from your keyboard. You can now move to the next step and focus on cleaning the keycaps.

Step 3: Clean the keycaps and keyboard deck with a damp microfiber cloth

Another step in the cleaning process involves cleaning down the keyboard with a damp microfiber cloth. This will remove oils and residue, and smaller dust particles that the compressed air might have missed.

1. Lightly dampen the microfiber cloth with water. Do not soak the cloth, make sure the flow of water coming out of the faucet isn’t strong.
2. Take the cloth and lightly rub down your keyboard deck. Make sure the cloth is getting in between the keycaps, in addition to the keycaps themselves.
3. Repeat the process, and keep rubbing the keys. Then when finished, let your laptop dry.

Now that you’ve wiped down the keyboard deck, most of the dust and debris should be gone. But we still have a suggestion for even deeper cleaning.

Step 4: Use Isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs or cotton balls

In this step, you’ll be using some additional tools like isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs or cotton balls. This will truly remove germs and oils from your keyboard and also leave it feeling nice and clean.

1. Lightly dip the cotton swab or cotton ball in the alcohol solution. It should not be fully soaked, but just lightly wet.
2. Rub the swab or ball all around the keyboard deck, covering the sides of the keys, while also making sure that it’s covering all of the surfaces.
3. When done, let the keyboard dry a bit.

This should generally be the last step in cleaning. It should have cleaned the keyboard and the keycaps, but if your keyboard still isn’t clean, move on to the last step.

Step 5 (Optional:) Remove Keys to clean if your keyboard allows for it

This last step isn’t for everyone which is why we saved for last. It’s only for advanced users and in a worst-case scenario. Also, not all keyboard keycaps can be removed. So it’s best to check with your laptop maker first and search for the process online before going to this step.

1. Take a picture of your keyboard so you know where to put the keys back
2. Gently pry up on the keys using your fingernails or a flat tool to remove them.
3. Place the keycaps on a surface in the same order that you took them out.
4. Wipe down the surface of the keyboard deck using a microfiber cloth, or cotton swabs or cotton balls dipped in alcohol as we described above. This is the area with the rubber keycap domes exposed. Let the surface dry after wiping
5. When done, replace the keycaps, making sure that they snap into place.

Again, this is a very extreme step which we do not suggest you get to at all. Usually, following steps one through four should be enough.

Conclusion

Following all these steps should leave you with a clean and working keyboard. If all else fails, you can contact the maker of your laptop for support. Keyboard damage or failure isn’t typically covered under warranty, but they might be able to help guide you through a cleaning process just like we did.

The post How to clean your laptop keyboard appeared first on XDA.

From the outside looking in, it might be easy to mistake a show that gets as much publicity as "The Boys" as little more than an edgy, juvenile, and exceedingly violent outlet to revel in our worst inclinations. Those who've stuck with the superhero satire despite its (admittedly) low-brow source material have a very different perspective, praising the series for its surprisingly astute social commentary, the writers' unapologetic political stances, and, yes, the fact that in any given episode you might end up with an all-out musical number, a shockingly explicit sex scene, or a scene that ends up as scarring for the actors as it does for their characters.

But never underestimate the lengths fans will go in order to latch onto the smallest and most seemingly insignificant moments. For all the headline-grabbing moments "The Boys" has to offer, there's still plenty of room for quiet, humanizing moments in between all the action and thrills. Take Jack Quaid's Hughie Campbell, for instance. The typically mousy, put-upon twink (as summed up in Queen Maeve's accurate estimation) might have tried to overcompensate during this last season by accepting Vought's Compound V serum on multiple occasions to get a little taste of that power fantasy and protect his girlfriend Starlight (Erin Moriarty). But at his core, Hughie's still just a scrawny fella who struggles to open a jar of mustard.

One scene in season 3 featured a throwaway gag where he tried and failed to do exactly that, and by the actor's own admission, this led to some of the funniest fan interactions you'll ever hear.

'I Just Love That They're Able To Enjoy Being In On The Joke'

If there's any one rule of the internet (no, not that one!), it's the fact that online fans will turn even the most insignificant details of a given movie or show into the biggest meme possible. Jack Quaid found that out in a rather amusing way, as he explained to GQ Magazine in a profile. The show has garnered its fair share of clueless fans who simply don't understand what they're watching and identify with all the worst characters that no reasonable person ever should ... but that doesn't mean a subset of viewers can't exist, all of whom have their priorities exactly where they should be.

Quaid detailed how one scene in season 3 where his character struggles to open a jar of mustard eventually led to some of the most wholesome and tongue-in-cheek attempts from viewers to pass on a little helpful advice. Quaid said:

"'The Boys' fans are very sweet. A big thing with Hughie this season randomly is that he can't open this one jar of mustard. So they keep sending me all these Amazon pages for like how to order can openers and how to open jars. I just love that they're able to enjoy being in on the joke."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jack Quaid (@jack_quaid)

Quaid, of course, knows firsthand what it's like to be a fervent fan online these days, having done his own research for his "Scream" role. Sometimes, in the midst of so much negativity on the internet, a little dose of fun-loving antics can go a long way.

Read this next: The 15 Most Anticipated Comic Book Movies And Shows Of 2022, Ranked

The post The Boys Fans Keep Sending Jack Quaid One Piece of Very Specific Advice appeared first on /Film.

Remember when Joe Pesci ("Goodfellas," "My Cousin Vinny") retired from acting in 1999? Thankfully, that didn't last forever. He came back for a cameo in 2006's "The Good Shepherd," 2010's "Love Ranch," a Snickers ad in 2011, voiced Koman in "A Warrior's Tail," and appeared to rave reviews and landed an Oscar nomination for "The Irishman" in 2017. Pesci may have wanted to retire, but we fans are very happy that it never completely stuck. 

The Academy Award-winning actor has been cast in yet another project, and it sounds like a blast. Pesci is set to star in the Pete Davidson comedy series "Bupkis," which is sort of an autobiographical version of Davidson's life. You know, the life we've been watching play out in public for so long. Not only is Emmy Award-winner Edie Falco ("The Sopranos") going to play Davidson's mom, but Pesci will play his grandfather. Now that is a family right there! 

The series comes to us from Peacock, which just announced that it will begin streaming NBC shows the day after they air on the network with Premium membership. Davidson will also serve as a writer along with frequent collaborator Dave Sirus ("The King of Staten Island") and executive producer. If you don't know the meaning of the title "Bupkis," it's a Yiddish term meaning "nothing."

It's Kind Of Great That This Retirement Never Stuck

"Bupkis" is a half-hour comedy, executive produced by Lorne Michaels, Davidson's old boss from "Saturday Night Live" through his Broadway Video, with Judah Miller ("The King of Staten Island") serving as showrunner and executive producer. Here is the official synopsis for the series:

Bupkis, a half-hour live action comedy, is a heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson's real life. The series will combine grounded storytelling with absurd elements from the unfiltered and completely original worldview for which Pete is well known.

I've said this before, but how much more heightened Pete Davidson's life could be? Either way, Davidson, Falco, and Pesci together in a single series is just too good a combination to miss. Davidson recently played Blackguard in "The Suicide Squad," directed by James Gunn. "The King of Staten Island," which Davidson starred in with Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Steve Buscemi, and Maude Apatow was also semi-autobiographical. Davidson also stars in the A24 horror flick "Bodies Bodies Bodies."

We don't have a release date for "Bupkis" yet, but we'll keep you updated as soon as the information becomes available. 

Read this next: The 15 Best Comedy Duos Of All Time

The post Joe Pesci Un-Retires Again, Joins Pete Davidson's Biographical Comedy Series Bupkis appeared first on /Film.

Grounded

Mariner enlists her friends on a rogue mission to exonerate her mother, as Captain Freeman faces a military tribunal for the destruction of Pakled Planet.

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Not all Stephen King movies are created equal. King's massive catalog of frights has made for exciting film adaptations ever since Brian de Palma gave us "Carrie" in 1976. However, "The Shining" might be best remembered for King's criticisms of the film. Those who remember 1979's "Salem's Lot" miniseries might have found themselves asking, "Why is the vampire blue?" Does 2017's "It" really have a scarier Pennywise the Dancing Clown than the 1990 remake? 

The most successful King adaptations tend to stray from the source material, which isn't always a bad thing. King is a master storyteller, but his gifts don't automatically translate to the screen. In fact, creative license often makes the movies based on his work — "Carrie" and "The Shining" in particular — better than they would have been had they followed the text faithfully.

Because the adaptation process is imperfect, some King movies succeed where others fail. Others get lost in limbo, solidifying their places as cult favorites. This author has been tasked with giving some love to those underrated Stephen King movies, so let's do this!

Creepshow

For "Creepshow," King and fellow horror legend George A. Romero adapted two of King's short stories, as well as three original scripts, into a love letter to the days the author spent reading EC comics as a kid. Divided into five vignettes, "Creepshow" stars Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, and King himself. 

On its own, "Creepshow" might not count as underrated, but I don't think each individual segment gets the love it deserves. The opening story, "Father's Day," delivers over-the-top camp commentary on how the wealthy live. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" finds some sadness before unleashing its frights. Nielsen's twisted turn in "Something to Tide You Over" is a great showcase for the actor's range, and "They're Creeping Up on You!" is what made me first realize that bugs terrify me. 

Among all of these excellent moments, the fourth segment, "The Crate," tends to get lost in the shuffle. In "The Crate," Barbeau and Holbrook play Wilma and Henry, an unhappily married couple working in academia. Wilma is brassy and merciless, belittling the meek Henry at every turn. In many ways, they're like Martha and George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

But hey, isn't this a horror story? Sure enough, while this segment has plenty of petty domestic squabbles, it also has a mysterious crate that's hidden under a university staircase. When Henry learns that an unidentified monster lives in that crate, he realizes that it could solve a lot of his problems. What I love about "The Crate" is that it's the people who are the actual monsters, and that the creature trapped in the crate is merely an accessory to some very human crimes.

The Shining

Seventeen years after Kubrick first brought "The Shining" to theaters, a remake arrived featuring a screenplay by King himself. 1997's "The Shining" was a three-part miniseries that stuck more closely to the source material in ways that I found jarring as a first-time viewer. At the time, I considered Kubrick's film the master text, even though I hadn't yet read the novel. As a result, I blamed some small changes on the miniseries, rather than my own stupidity: Wendy is blond, Jack attacks Hallorann with a croquet mallet instead of an ax, there aren't any twins, and so on. 

However, while Kubrick's film is a classic on its own, this version of "The Shining" is essential viewing both for those who love the book and also for those who are curious about what King was trying to accomplish with the story. What I love about King's early work is that his characters have open conversations about alcoholism long before he got sober himself, something that comes out brilliantly in his memoir, "On Writing."

One problem with the miniseries is that it looks and feels like it was made for TV. I think that means it's due for an upgrade. Somewhere, Mike Flanagan is probably trying to make that very thing happen. His "The Shining" sequel, "Doctor Sleep," adroitly combines both the original book and Kubrick's film, so why shouldn't he get a chance to remake this story for the big (or small) screen?

Maximum Overdrive

In theory, "Maximum Overdrive" is a terrible movie. All the technology we rely on rebels, and we, the dumb humans, become helpless victims. What is this, the Disney Channel's "Smart House"? No, this is Stephen King doing sci-fi camp, a sub-genre I didn't even know existed. "The problem with that film is that I was coked out of my mind all through its production," the author explained in Tony Magistrale's "Hollywood's Stephen King." Appropriately enough, when you watch the film, you do get the sense that it was made by a bunch of drugged-out people who liked cars and heavy metal.

Still, I can't help but love this road-trip-style horror flick. Directed by King himself, "Maximum Overdrive" has a fun cast that includes Emilio Estevez and Pat Hingle. Not every short story should be adapted into a feature-length film (this one is based on King's "Trucks," which was first published in the magazine "Cavalier"). Still, everyone should watch "Maximum Overdrive" at least once. I didn't like it on my first viewing because I expected a scary Stephen King story. On my second, I knew that it was garbage, and that made me enjoy this midnight movie much more.

Creepshow 2

The follow-up to "Creepshow" was not met with the same level of adoration as its predecessor. The Los Angeles Times called it "as exciting as leftovers," and it wasn't wrong. This sequel features three vignettes, and while I find them all to be pretty scary, they lack the rich characters of the first installment. There is no Leslie Nielsen as a vengeful rich dude, no Viveca Lindfors as crazy Aunt Bedelia, and no E.G. Marshall as an evil germaphobe. It cuts out the 1950s camp sensibility, and replaces it with the kinds of traditional scares we've come to expect from '80s films. 

Part of the reason why I think this film was unsuccessful on release is that it leans towards realism instead of fantasy. Some might argue that a pond creature that hunts teenagers isn't particularly grounded, but I think "The Raft" is a pointed commentary on how humans treat bodies of water, and what might happen if we don't respect them.

And "The Raft" is what I'd really like to talk about. In it, four teenagers go swimming in a pond in the middle of nowhere, only to be hunted by a creature that resembles an oil slick. Few things in my life have scared me as much as this sequence. I think about it every time I get in the water, even if it's just a hot tub. "The Raft" masterfully gets under your skin, favoring chills over ick in a way that I can't gush about enough.  Some people credit "Jaws" with their fear of water, but that just means they haven't seen "Creepshow 2."

Storm Of The Century

"Give me what I want, and I'll go away," says Andre Linoge, the mysterious stranger who arrives on a small island in Maine just before a storm hits. He repeats the line throughout the four-hour miniseries, and with each delivery, it becomes more menacing. What I love about King's dialogue is how he uses repetition to his advantage. Linoge is a simple adversary. He looks like a plain man, but he's one of King's scariest creations, and I don't think he gets enough credit; as a society, we spend way too much time talking about Pennywise.

What sets "Storm of the Century" apart from the other films on this list is that it's not actually an adaptation. King wrote it specifically for television. Therefore, it doesn't fall victim to some of the traps of a traditional King film. He structured the story with commercial breaks in mind! He had a budget for props! He had to conform to the network's content standards! This is a big deal. Novelists don't usually write with a budget in mind, but the screenplay for "Storm of the Century" shows that King can create something that's both really scary and also easy to film.

"Storm of the Century" masterfully blends King's biggest strengths: small town narratives and simple scares. It's also a great homage to Shirley Jackson, particularly the ridiculous climax, in which the citizens draw stones to determine which child to give to the demon. I haven't seen "Storm of the Century" since its initial broadcast in 1999. Will it ever be available for digital consumption? I hope so.

The Running Man

On "Fear Factor," contestants climb into coffins with spiders. On "Survivor," castaways turn on each other for peanut butter. And on "Keeping up with the Kardashians" ... well, I'm not really sure what happens on that show. Suffice to say, reality TV often boils down to watching real people suffer for money or fame while we sit safely on our couches. In the future, aliens might study this behavior, confused about why we devote so much of our time to this kind of programming. That said, reality TV is still a relatively new phenomenon, which is why, back in 1987, "The Running Man" was both prescient and terrifying.

Adapted from a Richard Bachman novel (Bachman is one of King's pen names), "The Running Man" centers on a game show where prisoners battle for their lives over a series of levels, not unlike a video game. At the end of each segment, they even face off against bosses. In this case, those are Captain Freedom, Dynamo, and Subzero. The scariest part of "The Running Man" is not the gauntlet of death that awaits Arnold Schwarzenegger, but rather the fervor with which the audience watches the events on screen. The viewers are the real monsters, and when watching this film between episodes of "The Bachelorette" and "RuPaul's Drag Race," I couldn't help but wonder: Am I a monster, too?

Dolores Claiborne

Can you really call a film with Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh underrated? Yes, you can. Despite a star-powered cast, a favorable critical reception, and success at the box office, "Dolores Claiborne" tends to fade into the background because it leans more toward psychological drama than horror. There are no vampires, no telekinetic teens, and no Cujo. All the monsters in "Dolores Claiborne" are human.

Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Selena, a young woman who returns home after her mother, Dolores (Bates), is accused of killing her elderly employer. The film examines their strained relationship, effectively using flashbacks to tell their story. It could work as a play or a serious drama, but because it's a King adaptation, the viewer might feel duped that the movie isn't horror. 

I didn't know what to make of this book or movie when I first encountered it. It's a serious meditation on grief, aging, abuse, and family. I think it's a work that we will continue to study and return to, a film that will gain appreciation over time as people see just how wonderful a storyteller King is even when he's not indulging the darkest parts of his ghoulish imagination.

The Night Flier

As a child, I came upon "The Night Flier" accidentally. When I was growing up, it was constantly playing late at night on HBO, and I would watch it in little chunks. I didn't know it was a Stephen King creation. The story is chilling and gritty, and it features a remarkably unpleasant protagonist; if he wasn't so frightening to look at, you might find yourself rooting for the vampire. This is the perfect late-night B movie. Unfortunately, because Stephen King already wrote an epic vampire yarn — "'Salem's Lot" — "The Night Flier" often gets lost in the graveyard of vampire narratives. That's precisely why you should check it out.

"The Night Flier" follows sleazy tabloid journalist Richard Dees, loathsomely played by Miguel Ferrer, as he investigates a series of mysterious deaths at various airfields. Ferrer played an unlikeable lead before it was fashionable. He's a departure from King's other writer protagonists because he abhors the truth, and would rather publish magazines than tell the right story. 

I love the sense of isolation that pervades this film. During the scenes at the airport, it almost feels like King's "The Langoliers." As viewers, we are always alone while watching, because we can't trust our protagonist. Our vampire baddie is legitimately scary, too. Finally, I don't think anyone has ever before told a vampire story where the vampire is a pilot — so, points for originality.

Gerald's Game

"The book, as it's written, is really impossible to adapt," director Mike Flanagan said in an interview with The Independent. "We had to find a mechanism to make the story cinematic while being faithful to the story," he explained. The book he's talking about is, of course, "Gerald's Game," a psychological horror joy ride that takes place almost entirely in a bedroom as protagonist Jessie, played by the exceptional Carla Gugino, fights for survival.

This is my favorite Mike Flanagan adaptation, but sometimes I worry that it gets lost in the crowd because Flanagan is such a prolific creator. Between his love letter to Shirley Jackson, "The Haunting of Hill House," and his incredible adaptation of "The Shining" sequel "Doctor Sleep," Flanagan has been busy giving us horror that both advances the genre and honors its pioneers. "Gerald's Game" is horror realism at its finest: Jessie is handcuffed to a bed with no escape. Then, King layers in some seriously spooky supernatural elements, forcing Jessie to reconcile her tragic past and face off against the Moonlight Man, who has to be one of the scariest King creations of all time. When watching "Gerald's Game," the appearance of the Moonlight Man surprised me the most. Where is his spinoff? We demand Pennywise versus the Moonlight Man!

Salem's Lot

When I try to identify what makes a Stephen King movie underrated, one question I ask is: Was it released theatrically, or is it a TV miniseries? In recent years, the miniseries has largely been replaced by the prestige limited series. While I'm totally here for the medium advancing in such a powerful way, there was something special about tuning in for two or three installments of a long movie that had to get really crafty to satisfy the rigid requirements of network television. "Salem's Lot" successfully follows the rules while still telling a spooky story. Directed by Tobe Hooper, this horror fable is basically Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," but with vampires.

Sure, the miniseries has some obvious flaws: an overly simplified ending, a silent adversary (again, why is he blue?), and not enough time devoted to the supporting cast's personal lives, particularly in the miniseries' second half. Our vampire baddie, Kurt Barlow, suffers the most in this adaptation. Not only is he silent, but during the final confrontation, he's lying down. He doesn't even fight back! In the book, Barlow is eloquent and frightening. In fact, towards the climax, he writes letters that contain some of the scariest words that Stephen King has ever penned. Despite these setbacks, however, this adaptation of "'Salem's Lot" showcases King's ability to create compelling, real characters and put them through a gauntlet of horrors, and set the standard for every adaptation of his work that followed.

Christine

This list includes some dream writer-director pairings. We've already seen King team up with both George Romero and Tobe Hooper, but it's the Stephen King-John Carpenter creative sandwich that I've always wanted. Thankfully, we got just that with "Christine." What makes King's early works so special is that you can usually describe them in one or two words: telekinetic teen, vampire town, ghost hotel. With "Christine"? Haunted car. A simple premise like that allows us to spend more time getting to know our characters. Keith Gordon, best known for "Jaws 2" and "Dressed to Kill," stars as Arnie Cunningham, whose life slowly falls apart once he gets his first car, a 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine.

The premise is a little ridiculous, and a haunted car that commits murders while Arnie sleeps works a little better on the page than on the screen. However, this movie succeeds in several ways: John Carpenter's direction, his music, and the feel-good energy that comes with watching an '80s coming-of-age story. "Christine" is a teen comedy in the same way that "Scream" is. Its primary function might be horror, but it drafts beautiful characters who could succeed without being part of a horror plot. This movie deserves to be a double feature with "Maximum Overdrive" at drive-ins across America.

Needful Things

I like to think of "Needful Things" as part of a trinity that also includes "Salem's Lot" and "Storm of the Century." All of these films examine how small-town residents handle the arrival of evil in their communities (spoiler: not well). Over the course of all three films (or books, or miniseries), the quiet villain decimates the townsfolk's lives, and yet it never feels repetitive. 

However, "Needful Things" doesn't always get the recognition it deserves. Not to be anti-"It" or anything, but in this author's opinion, Pennywise's big feature tends to get the most adoration, followed by "Carrie" and "The Shining." However, "Needful Things" is horror at its deadly best.

The premise is simple: A nice, old dude named Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) arrives in town, offering everyone exactly what they've always dreamed of. All they have to do to get their coveted items is to do him little favors. What could possibly go wrong? Gaunt is as plain looking as "Storm of the Century" villain Linoge, while his antique shop appears as harmless as Straker's in "Salem's Lot." But there is a powerful evil lurking just below the surface, and it's the scariest threat of all because it looks so human. Leland Gaunt makes deals, but it's the citizens of Castle Rock who carry out his evil wishes.

Read this next: All 59 Stephen King Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

The post 12 Underrated Stephen King Movies You Should Check Out appeared first on /Film.

The biggest problem for Linux system and server administrators is troubleshooting the errors encountered. Fixing these issues, managing security problems, and analyzing the primary cause behind such issues from the command screen can sometimes pose serious challenges.

There's no doubt that microtransactions are the future of gaming. With microtransactions, gaming companies can continually develop a franchise and have the funds necessary to grow the game years after its initial release.

Password management software firm LastPass has suffered a data breach that led to the theft of source code and proprietary technical information.

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The animated Netflix "Castlevania" series has no shortage of talented voice actors, including Richard Armitage, Lance Reddick, and Bill Nighy, but one familiar voice might be harder to put a face on. Actor Emily Swallow is no stranger to genre storytelling, breathing life into characters from major geek properties in animation and live-action, but two of her most recent major roles have kept her face completely out of sight. 

In "Castlevania," which expands on the lore from the Konami video game franchise, she voices the beautiful and tragic Lisa Tepes. Lisa is the beloved wife of Vlad Tepes (Graham McTavish), better known as Dracula, and together they have a son, Alucard (James Callis), who serves as one of the main protagonists of the series. Lisa was vital to the series, as her death causes Dracula to curse all of humanity and begin his war against them. She serves as the catalyst for incredible destruction, despite being a doctor who sought to improve the lives of her fellow humans. Swallow brings Tepes to life with her voice talents, imbuing her with maternal warmth, a serene confidence, and pure empathy. 

But Swallow is a prolific performer with a career spanning just over a decade, and she's played some pretty high-profile roles in geeky properties that might surprise fans of her performance in "Castelvania." In fact, she recently played another character where no one could see her face, and she was a far cry from the sweet-natured Lisa. That's right, Dracula's wife is voiced by the same woman that plays The Armorer on "The Mandalorian."

From Mommy To Mandalore

The Armorer on "The Mandalorian" is a mysterious character who helps the series' hero, Din Djarin (played by Pedro Pascal), by forging a gift for his foster child Grogu out of beskar, a special metal known for its resilience to blaster fire and lightsabers. She wears a gold helmet and cuts an imposing figure, though she has to as one of the last surviving keepers of the old ways. She follows the strict belief system of the Mandalorians, known as "the Way," and as such never removes her helmet around others for any reason. Showing someone else your face is a big Mandalorian no-no, and she completely condemns Djarin when she discovers that he once allowed another person to see his face. It's kind of hard to blame him for taking his helmet off to get some face-time with the always adorable Grogu, but the Armorer is a bit more old-fashioned and doesn't see it that way. Besides, it seems almost criminal to have someone as handsome as Pedro Pascal hidden beneath metal for the entire series. 

There's a huge difference between voicing the doomed wife of Dracula and portraying an ancient armorer who holds the mysteries of Mandalore, but Swallow pulls off both with her voice talents. She manages to give both characters life without ever showing her face. Fans might be surprised to find out that she's starred in another geeky series, however, and she had plenty of fabulous face-time. 

Here Comes The Darkness

In 2015, Swallow joined the cast of "Supernatural," the long-running series on The CW that followed brothers Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) as they go from being monster hunters to tangling with angels, demons, and gods themselves. Swallow portrayed something even more terrifying than a god: the Darkness. No, not the band who sang "Do You Believe in a Thing Called Love?", but the embodiment of darkness itself, a creature who can destroy all over creation. Sam and Dean (and their pal Crowley the demon, played by Mark Sheppard) help raise the young Darkness as a girl named Amara, but she eventually grows into a destructive adult who can consume souls. She's the central character of her season, and one of the series' most compelling Big Bads. 

Swallow has also played her fair share of characters in serialized prime-time dramas as well, starring as Detective Elizabeth Saldana in the CW murder mystery series "Ringer," FBI Agent Kim Fisher on the CBS crime series "The Mentalist," Dr. Michelle Robidaux on the TNT surgical drama "Monday Mornings," and as research physiologist Natalie Pierce on the CBS action drama "SEAL Team." The actor has stayed busy, popping up all over television in just about every kind of role imaginable. Fans might not always recognize her because she's hiding underneath a helmet or voicing an animated character off-screen, but with all of the incredible work beneath her belt, maybe she'll soon be a household name. 

Read this next: The 15 Best Star Wars Side Characters

The post The Two Great Geek Characters Emily Swallow Has Played – Without You Seeing Her Face appeared first on /Film.

Sylvester Stallone's 2022 direct-to-streaming action flick "Samaritan" has a certain irresistible je ne sais quoi. Maybe it's the story's comfortingly familiar formula, or maybe it's the contrast of physical, practical stunts performed in a hyper-stylized world. Maybe — just maybe — the key element is how much fun everyone seems to be having; for a story about an aging superhero set against the backdrop of urban decay, there's a surprising amount of joy and earnest affection in the underlying structure.     

"Samaritan" feels like a lost relic from the early aughts; this is exactly the kind of movie pre-teens used to rent from the corner store and become absolutely obsessed with. It is peak "12-year-old-boy cool" — like "Spy Kids" but with attitude. The film centers on Sam Clearly (Javon Walton), a kid from the wrong side of town who finds himself drawn into the seedy world of notorious gang leader Cyrus (Pilou Asbæk). Sam is being raised by his loving if irresponsible mother Tiffany (Dascha Polanco), and it's obvious that poor Sam is desperate to find a male role model to fill the void left by his father's death. The kid is obsessed with Samaritan, a local superhero who is thought to have died 25 years ago. Sam believes this hero is still alive, and that he's out there, somewhere, waiting to be found. 

Even without knowing anything about this movie, you probably can guess what happens next. Some mean and slightly older kids try to beat up Sam, and they're stopped by a super-strong ... elderly garbage man. This is Joe (Sylvester Stallone), a recluse who happens to live nearby and really digs dumpster-diving in the rain. Initially, Joe tries to brush Sam off, but a sudden accident essentially outs him as having superpowers, and they begin an unlikely friendship.  

Samaritan Is Fun, If Nothing Else

I am sure there will be many critics (some professional, some of the "couch" variety) who will turn up their noses to "Samaritan," making snide commentary about the story being basic, derivative, etc. — the kind of self-important, "I am a connoisseur of culture" discourse that plagues this industry. To these people, I say: " why do you hate fun?" 

"Samaritan" is very good at what it's aiming to do: delivering a "dark" superhero story for kids. Specifically, it's a narrative in which the adolescent protagonist bears witness to the fantastic; it's an approach that worked really well for beloved classics like "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," "The Goonies," and "The Monster Squad." The straightforward plot with its satisfying (if predictable) twist at the end is ideal for a pre-teen audience because it's easy to follow, while still feeling distinct from more "family-friendly" fare. The fantasy gang violence sets clear stakes for young minds to comprehend; uncomplicated by moral ambiguity and realism, the delineation of "good guys" and "bad guys" is obvious without resorting to offensive stereotypes or overly disturbing onscreen action. 

"Samaritan" is how a child might imagine the world: Cyrus is an unhinged, over-the-top gang leader — like a modern-day version of Fagin from "Oliver Twist," but with face tats. His crew drives matching cars, they all eat fast-food hamburgers, and his hideout is an abandoned-looking warehouse decked out with broken-down cars and arcade machines. Cyrus and his crew are dangerous, but in a relatively "safe" manner: In the spirit of Batman villains, the gang wears masks, plans elaborate heists, and uses "black-out bombs," which are essentially explosive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons designed to knock out electricity. It's a bit silly, but fits the movie's overall tone.    

Another Stallone Film Set Against Urban Decay

"Samaritan" director Julius Avery eschews the recent trend of washed-out, dark visuals and instead opts for a colorful, brightly lit aesthetic. The opening prologue uses a filter that evokes comic-book imagery, which establishes the film's campier tone. Many scenes feature exaggerated, saturated colors — like a rich, royal-blue night sky contrasted by the overwhelming warm glow of streetlights, or a city overtaken by the haze of smoke and flame. It's an excellent compliment to the fast-paced fight choreography and stunt work. Like so many of Stallone's best works, the movie features themes of poverty, redemption, found family, and perseverance, and the color scheme here really helps to create this mood.

For what is essentially a B-movie that — intended or not — feels like it was made for pre-teen boys, there is a surprising amount of depth and nuance in "Samaritan." Sprinkled throughout the scenes are hints of the past, and the resulting effect is that the film often feels like it takes place in a near-future dystopia as imagined by someone in the '90s. Joe's hobby is fixing "broken things" (hint hint — it's because he years to fix himself) but he typically tinkers with items like antique radios and analog watches. The mean teenagers hang out at an arcade, and Cyrus even has an old, boxy personal computer with a CRT monitor. Right next to it is a "RoboCop" arcade cabinet — directly referencing another film set in a decaying urban landscape on the brink of societal collapse. Sam's world is not quite as dire as Alex Murphy's, but if Cyrus succeeds, it will be.

Still A B-Movie With B-Movie Problems

Where "Samaritan" really falters is the interpersonal elements. Screenwriter Bragi F. Schut's characterization is weak, and rather than compensate or distract from that, Avery's direction often brings attention to how thin and artificial the dialogue sounds. In one moment, Sam turns on a dime — going from bubbly to despondent and fearful in the same breath. As a parent, I recognize that kids actually do that, but as a viewer, it felt almost comically abrupt. The issue comes down to framing and motivation: The audience can't see the characters' inner thoughts, so we need other clues that establish this information. Avery may be very talented in shooting action sequences, but he struggles in the quieter moments. 

To make matters worse, Sam and Joe have very little chemistry, which is supposed to be driving the story in the second act. Both actors are giving their all with the material provided, but the pacing is so fast, and the writing so wooden, that we don't really get to see the relationship between Sam and Joe grow. As well, some of the special effects go beyond being enjoyably over-the-top and just feel distracting; it's hard to focus on a heartfelt conversation between the two leads when they're surrounded by a bunch of unnecessary CGI environmental effects.

I am unapologetically a lover of B-movie action films. I love diving through the $10 DVD bins at discount stores and finding under-appreciated gems like "Undisputed 3: Redemption" (an excellent Scott Atkins vehicle). It's in this spirit that I really enjoyed "Samaritan" and will definitely watch it again, probably with friends and the aid of alcohol. There are things this film does very well, but it is definitely flawed — and it's not an issue of the limited budget, but rather creative choices that hurt the overall project. Some movies are so bad that they're good; that's not really the case here. Still, those who remember a time when afternoons were spent pumping quarters into Street Fighter II and fantasizing about Sylvester Stallone beating up your bullies, will no doubt feel a surge of nostalgia — and a healthy dose of dopamine — watching "Samaritan."

/Film Rating: 6.5 out of 10

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The post Samaritan Review: This Cheesy Sylvester Stallone B-Movie Is A Hell Of A Ride appeared first on /Film.

The premiere of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 3 arrived on Paramount+ today, which is exciting twofold for Trekkies. Not only is one of the better "Trek" shows back, but "Lower Decks" in particular gives detail-obsessed nerds a chance to take out their notepads and go reference hunting. The "Lower Decks" writers clearly know "Star Trek" quite well, and their references from previous episodes run from the obvious to the downright oblique. One needs to look closely to see some of the clever in-jokes snuck into the background. 

These kinds of references are cute, yes, but it's worth noting that callbacks and canonical mapping have long been a "Star Trek" birthright. In terms of sci-fi TV, the notion of a larger, expanded universe that is operating somewhere far beyond the events of the central show -- a universe that can be periodically visited -- is something that "Star Trek" helped pioneer. Between "Star Trek" and "Doctor Who," the notion of pop culture TV canon was essentially born. 

(You literature nerds can stop writing in angry letters about how Honoré de Balzac was inventing a literary version of interconnected supernarratives with his "La Comédie Humaine" back in 1829. We all know that.)

That said, let us trek into "Grounded," the premiere episode of "Lower Decks," season three, and see what fun references we can spot.

Boimler's Vinyard

The premise of "Grounded" is that the U.S.S. Cerritos is currently under impound after Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) was accused of an act of terrorism. The four main ensigns of "Lower Decks" find themselves back on Earth, tending to their individual concerns. Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) and Tendi (Noël Wells) are taking the opportunity to catch up on Earth tourist spots, Mariner (Tawny Newsome) is determined to prove that her captain, also her mother, is innocent, and Boimler (Jack Quaid) has returned to his family vineyard to tend to the grapes. But the Boimler family does not make wine. The Boimler family makes raisins. 

Boimler being found on a vineyard, wearing a large straw sunhat no less, is a direct parallel to Captain Picard and his frequent visitations to the Picard family vineyard, first seen in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Family" (October 1, 1990). The same vineyard would be the opening location of "All Good Things..." (May 23, 1994), the final episode of "The Next Generation," as well as Picard's eventual home in "Star Trek: Picard." Because of Picard, Boimler's presence on a vineyard feels natural and expected; this is simply what "Star Trek" characters do on their time off. They tend to the grapes. 

Rutherford's Sweater

Trekkies, perhaps more than other fandoms, are openly willing to point out when their beloved object of affection does something wrong. The bungling of way-too-slow-walked queer representation has always been a sticking point on "Trek," as has notably bad episodes; no Trekkie, however devout, will leap to the defense of the notorious "Spock's Brain," William Shatner's "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," or the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Profit and Lace." 

One of the more embarrassing details of "Trek," however, has to be the weird fashions worn by civilians on Deep Space Nine. The costumes, designed by Robert Blackman, featured bizarre puffy accents, weird colors, chrome patches, and other ugly accoutrements that looks like ... well, they look like multiple alien fashion trends haphazardly mashed together, so perhaps it was completely appropriate. Regardless, one must feel sorry for actor Cirroc Lofton, as he was asked to wear many strange jumpsuits and sweaters playing Jake Sisko. 

The makers of "Lower Decks" know those ugly Jake Sisko sweaters, however, and were whimsical enough to dress Ensign Rutherford in Jake Sisko's trademark purple/calico number. What a fun, deep cut.

Sisko's Creole Kitchen

And speaking of the Sisko family, fans of "Deep Space Nine" might also know that Captain Sisko's father Joseph (Brock Peters) had remained on Earth to run his very own restaurant. Indeed, it was mentioned in dialogue that Joseph was a Master Chef, having mastered the art of creole cooking. His restraurant, Sisko's Creole Kitchen was first seen in the "Deep Space Nine" episode "Homefront" (January 1, 1996), a two-part episode wherein Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) returned to Earth to consult with Starfleet about a dastardly scheme to militarize the organization. Sisko's Creole Kitchen would return in dialogue multiple times, and a sad, late-in-the-series turn of events would find both Ben and Jake Sisko working there for a few months. 

The four protagonists of "Lower Decks" reconnoiter in "Grounded" sharing bowls of gumbo around a table at Sisko's. Ensign Mariner finds the food to be wonderful. Ensign Boimler gets a little too burnt by the heat. 

And speaking of heat ...

Ketracel White Hot Sauce

Of the condiments on the table at Sisko's Creole Kitchen, the Ketracel White Hot hot sauce may stand out. Savvy "Deep Space Nine" fans will recognize the name Ketracel White as the drug that the Dominion -- the central antagonists of the show -- manufactured for their ultraviolent soldiers the Jem'Hadar. Jem'Hadar soldiers were manufactured in labs for years, eventually reaching the point where their systems would be unable to survive without the infusion of a methamphetamine-like narcotic. A constant infusion of the drug kept them eager to fight. A threat of taking it away kept them loyal. It was a perfect way to run an army, if you were a sociopathic sadist. 

It may be mildly tasteless to name a hot sauce after a narcotic openly known as a pacifying device utilized by an evil military power, but given some of the names one might find for hot sauces on the market today (buy some Ass In Hell today!) it may be appropriate. 

A close-up of the label reveals that Ketracel White Hot sauce has 17,000,000 SHU, a reference to the sauce's heat in Scoville units. For context, an ordinary bell pepper has zero SHU, a jalapeño can have as many as 2,500 SHU, a habanero can run as much as 350,000 SHU, and the notorious Carolina Reaper can run over 1.5 million SHU. That's also the SHU of most police pepper sprays. Ketracel White, with its 17 million SHU, would most assuredly be enough to melt human intestines. Mariner eats some with ease. 

Bozeman, Montana

In "Grounded," the show's four protagonists need a means to travel into space where the empty Cerritos awaits, perhaps containing evidence of Captain Freeman's innocence. When their attempt to access an off-the-grid transporter fails, they are forced to visit Bozeman, Montana, a significant site in "Star Trek" lore. Bozeman was, as viewers of "Star Trek: First Contact" might recall, the community where Zefram Cochran (James Cromwell) launched Earth's very first faster-than-light spacecraft, the Phoenix. While flying around the solar system, Cochran attracted the attention of some passing Vulcans, instigating a planet-wide realization that humans are not alone in the galaxy. In the timeline of "Trek," this moment is what kickstarted Roddenberry's utopian future. 

In "First Contact," several members of the Enterprise crew -- having gone back in time to the fateful event in question -- mention that the site had been turned into a museum in the 24th century. In "Lower Decks," we see that Bozeman is more of a tourism-geared theme park with snacks and rides and playgrounds. The Vulcan ship that landed there serves as the design for swings and slides for kids. One can wear souvenir Zefram Cochran hats, and one can ride an automated recreation of the Phoenix. On the automated ride, a holographic recreation of Cochran (also played by Cromwell) narrates, and, just like in "First Contact," Cochran plays Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" as he blasts his passengers into space. 

Oblique Engineering Tools

Only quick eyed nerds might spot them, but a series of engineering tools seen on "Lower Decks" might look familiar. When the show's protagonists attempt to access the off-the-grid transporter, aiming to knock out the operator and steal a quick beam up to the Cerritos, they are greeted by a kind, grandfatherly transporter chief who, gosh darn it, is too sweet to render unconscious. He finds out their plan, and the ensigns break down in apologetic tears. 

On the table behind the chief, one might see scattered Trek tools of varying origins. Some of those tools will be recognized by fans of the "Deep Space Nine" episode "Hard Time" (April 15, 1996), the episode in which Chief O'Brien (Colm Meany) is arrested and forced to virtually live out a lifelong prison sentence in his mind ... over the course of only a few minutes. An early scene shows O'Brien rifling through a tool case, and wouldn't you know it, those tools are on a table on "Lower Decks."

The News Chyron

"Grounded" opens with a news report to catch viewers up on the events of season 2. The newscaster reads the exposition while the scrolling chyron along the bottom of the screen drops reference after reference. The chyron is distracting to all Trekkies, and one can rest assured that many fans will be running the episode back to read all the shout-outs. 

There is a reference to the Zebulon Sisters, a pop act last seen in the "Lower Decks" episode "Terminal Provocations" (September 10, 2020), and how they had been banned from starships by Captain Jellico, a character played by Ronny Cox in the two-part "Next Generation" episode "Chain of Command" (December 1992). There is also a news story about a Zakdorn 6-year-old who had become the youngest stratagema grandmaster in history. Zakdorn was the species of Sirna Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith), a master strategist who was hired to beef up the Enterprise's military standing in the NextGen episode "Peak Performance" (July 10, 1989). Kolrami was also fond of a holographic strategy-based board game called stratagema, a game that both Riker and Data lost.

There was also a news story about how a Sonny Clemonds concert had inspired riots. L.Q. "Sonny" Clemonds (Leon Rippy) was a 20th-century cryogenics enthusiast who was discovered and unfrozen in the NextGen episode "The Neutral Zone" (May 16, 1988). He was concerned that he wouldn't be able to continue his career as a country musician. It seems, according to the chyron, that he not only achieved a career, but became big enough to inspire riots. 

Read this next: Every Star Trek Show And Movie In Chronological Order

The post The 7 Best Easter Eggs and References in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, Episode 1 appeared first on /Film.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has spent the past few years trying to suit up for a cameo on "The Boys," but scheduling woes kept getting in the way. Until now. Evidently, all he needed was the extra special push of jealousy to get things hashed out. After seeing his former "Supernatural" co-star Jensen Ackles get a well-deserved spotlight on the depraved Prime Video series, Morgan has cleared his schedule to get down and dirty with "The Boys." Okay, that's not entirely true — Morgan is in fact a very busy man (he's headlining an upcoming spin-off of "The Walking Dead"), but what could be more important than reuniting with his TV son?

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has signed on for a recurring role in the fourth season of "The Boys," the details of which are being kept under wraps. Although he got a shoutout on the series' official Twitter account, the creatives refuse to reveal whether or not Morgan will be spending his onscreen time in tights.

Chuffed to welcome @JDMorgan to The Boys S4. Can't confirm if he's gettin' any tights, though. pic.twitter.com/ApDpQgo0QC

— THE BOYS (@TheBoysTV) August 25, 2022

We also don't know for sure that Morgan will have an onscreen reunion with Jensen Ackles, given the way Solider Boy's story shook out in the aftermath of the season 3 finale. But we do know that he'll be linking back up with "Supernatural" creator turned "The Boys" showrunner Eric Kripke. This is the part where Prime Video realizes that four seasons of "The Boys" have just been an elaborate scheme from Kripke to reboot "Supernatural," with superheroes. If he drops any more hints about getting Jared Padalecki onboard too, then his master scheme will officially be revealed.

A Tale Told Thorugh Tweets

After spending a few years hunting monsters and demons with his sons on "Supernatural," Morgan departed the CW series and soon found himself fleeing some troublesome zombies on "The Walking Dead." He's now set to reprise the role of Negan alongside Laura Cohen as Maggie in "The Walking Dead: Dead City." This, along with recent roles in "Fall" and "The Integrity of Joseph Chamber" might be why previous scheduling didn't work out.

Kripke has been trying to get Morgan on the series since back in January 2020, when season 3 was still in the works. And Morgan was interested! As a self-proclaimed fan of the show, he made it very clear that he wanted in on all the whale explosions and 11-foot penises, tweeting out, "I'll go play with that gang anytime." Kripke replied, "I'll make you a deal. Season 3. I'll write it, and if you're avail, come shoot it!" Morgan's response? "In a heartbeat."

Thanks @JDMorgan for spreading #TheBoys gospel! I'll make you a deal. Season 3. I'll write it, and if you're avail, come shoot it! Thanks for all the love, brother. #SPNReunion#TheBoystv @TheBoysTV @PrimeVideo #SPNFamily https://t.co/tI6A8UFPyV

— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) January 16, 2020

A Very Supernatural Reunion

While the scheduling didn't quite work out, Kripe still had Morgan on his mind while making the rounds about the third season and told Entertainment Weekly that an offer was extended for Morgan to join season 4. At the time, he didn't expect it to work out:

"Schedule-wise, I don't know. We might still remain star-crossed, unfortunately, because I did ask. We had a role come up, and my first question was, 'Well, is Jeffrey available?'"

But sometimes the stars align perfectly and everything comes together. This was one of those times. All we need now is some official confirmation about Ackles' return. And some answers on the role Morgan will play — is he going from hunting monsters to demons to superheroes? Or will he be donning tights as a superpowered monster himself? Or maybe he'll join fellow "Supernatural" alum Jim Bever as a politician (ya know, the other kind of monster on this show). Only time (or Kripke) will tell.

No release date is set for "The Boys," but season 4 is currently in production.

Read this next: MCU Superpowers That Don't Quite Make Sense

The post The Boys Season 4 is Now a Supernatural Reunion as Jeffrey Dean Morgan Joins the Cast appeared first on /Film.

Now here is something special for all our Super Mario 64 and Tomb Raider fans. Headshotnoby and muddymind have just released a Super Mario 64 Mod for the original Tomb Raider game, allowing you to play as Mario himself. From what we can see, this mod uses OpenLara. In case you weren’t aware, OpenLara is … Continue reading Super Mario 64 Mod for Tomb Raider is now available for download →

The post Super Mario 64 Mod for Tomb Raider is now available for download appeared first on DSOGaming.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: South Korea has once again shattered its own record for the world's lowest fertility rate as it faces the prospect of its population of 51 million people more than halving by the end of this century. Korean women were estimated, based on 2021 data, to have an average of just 0.81 children over their lifetimes, down from 0.84 a year earlier, the statistics office said Wednesday. The number of newborns declined last year to 260,600, which equates to about 0.5% of the population. The number of women of child-bearing age fell 2% to 11,620,000 last year, signaling the fertility rate is only likely to deteriorate further. A typical Korean woman gave birth to her first child at age 32.6, up from 30.2 a decade earlier, according to the stats office. Her partner on average would be 35.1, compared with 33 a decade earlier. By region, the capital Seoul showed the lowest fertility rate at 0.63, while Sejong, home to government headquarters, had the highest at 1.28, according to the stats office. The most populous province, Gyeonggi, recorded 0.85, closer to the average. In the decades following the 1950-53 Korean War, the population at least doubled and in an effort to curb the baby boom in the early years of economic development, the government encouraged couples to have only one child. That policy was scrapped around the turn of the century as births started to sharply fall, prompting the government to spend tens of billion of dollars each year to encourage more children, but with little success so far. "Korea is the world's fastest-aging nation among economies with per capita GDP of at least $30,000," notes Bloomberg, citing United Nations global population projections and World Bank data. "By 2100, its population will fall by 53% to 24 million, up from a 43% decline forecast in 2019." "The forecast is a sobering reminder of the demographic threat and associated economic challenges confronting Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong and President Yoon Suk Yeol, who both took office earlier this year."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Want to know whether to fire or kill Atticus in the Saints Row Severance Package mission? As one of the later Saints Row missions, Severance Package is surprisingly easy, tasking the leader of the Saints to cause millions of dollars worth of property damage by blowing everything up with a prototype tank. The aim: to plummet Marshall’s stock price and force a vote of no confidence in its leader, Atticus Marshall.

Even when the open-world game cuts to the board room at the end of the Saints Row Severance Package mission, there is a tie in the vote. Some want to force Atticus out of the company, while others want to keep him around. With a dramatic spin of a chair, it turns out you have the deciding vote. Atticus’ days of running Marshall are essentially over, but the method of his dismissal is up to you.

RELATED LINKS: Saints Row release date, Best action-adventure games, Upcoming PC games

Following a surprise announcement, the Samsung 990 Pro SSD has finally been unveiled and as you might expect it's very fast. Packed inside this pocket sized NVMe M.2 solid state drive, are class-leading specs that make this device a cut above its competition.

RELATED LINKS: Samsung 970 EVO 1TB review, Best SSD for gaming, Best gaming monitor

Science fiction is ultimately the story of good versus evil. Whether it's the conflict between the Jedi and Sith in the "Star Wars" franchise, the war against the machines in "The Terminator" franchise, or the cruelty of HAL-9000 in "2001: A Space Odyssey," sci-fi movies require great heroes and villains. Neo (Keanu Reeves) wouldn't be nearly as heroic in "The Matrix" if he didn't have to face off against Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving).

Unfortunately, not every sci-fi movie can fulfill those expectations. There's nothing worse than a bland protagonist that you can't connect with. Perhaps, a movie like 2003's "Daredevil" wouldn't be nearly as bad if Matthew Murdock had at least been a compelling character. A dull protagonist can sometimes even bring down an entire movie. Although 2009's "Avatar" is a modern classic, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is hardly a likable character. However, a shocking plot twist can do a lot to change a film. Here are 14 sci-fi movie heroes who would make way better villains.

Willard Decker, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was very different from the original series. Unlike the exciting show, "The Motion Picture" was a slow-paced, philosophical science fiction film, similar to "2001: A Space Odyssey." The movie deals with intriguing concepts but lacks a compelling villain. The film revolves around Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Spocks' (Leonard Nimoy) search to find a mysterious alien cloud known as V'ger. It is not until the end of the film that Kirk and his crew discover that V'ger is just a satellite probe from the 20th century.

However, Kirk has other things to deal with in "The Motion Picture." He's been promoted to the rank of Admiral and has to re-take command of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise. This sparks conflict with the ship's current captain, Willard Decker (Stephen Collins). Decker is angry that he has to relinquish control. During the search for V'ger, Decker becomes obsessed with the Deltan navigator Ilea (Persis Khambatta). 

If Decker's anger with Kirk had resulted in him becoming a villain, it may have added more action to the film. "The Motion Picture" revolves around Kirk dealing with his age, and recognizing that the Federation is sometimes wrong. Having a younger captain rebel against him could make these themes more resonant.

Jar Jar Binks, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

A popular "Star Wars" fan theory emerged that suggested that the obnoxious Gungan Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) is secretly a Sith Lord. Although this idea seems absolutely ridiculous, there is compelling evidence to support the case. According to the theorists, Jar Jar purposefully acts like a clumsy fool in order to deceive his opponents. The idea of a powerful force user disguising themselves isn't a new one in the "Star Wars" universe. Yoda (Frank Oz) acts like a crazed goofball in "The Empire Strikes Back" before revealing his true identity to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

Jar Jar is mysteriously given an inordinate amount of power in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy. He is responsible for granting Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) emergency powers during a critical vote. This allows Palpatine to create the Grand Army of the Republic, which he ultimately uses against the Jedi Order. Were Palpatine and Jar Jar secretly working together? It's not that far-fetched; they both come from the planet Naboo. Jar Jar is renowned as one of the most annoying characters in film history. Perhaps, he would be redeemed in the eyes of fans if he was actually a Sith Lord.

Paul Safrânek, Downsizing (2017)

Alexander Payne's sci-fi dramedy "Downsizing" has a great premise. In the future, human beings are being shrunken in order to prevent overpopulation and global warming. Those that choose to go through with the experimental procedure are able to live in an idealized miniature community. Unfortunately, the film wastes its interesting concept. What should have been a searing commentary on the failures of creating a utopia turns into a generic story about a middle-aged white guy who is trying to find himself.

Matt Damon can't be faulted for giving a bad performance, but Paul Safrânek is simply a flat character. His wife, Audrey (Kristen Wiig), chooses not to be "downsized," and divorces him. Paul's mid-life crisis feels melodramatic and generic. The audience has no reason to root for him as he tries to create a perfect society.

However, the film could have gone a more interesting route if Paul had become bitter and malicious. Instead of trying to save the smaller world, he could have tried to wreak havoc. Damon rarely gets the chance to play the bad guy. Nevertheless, his villainous roles in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "The Departed" are among his best.

Kat, Tenet (2020)

Christopher Nolan deserves a lot of praise for his brilliant concepts and mind-blowing action sequences. However, Nolan has never been able to write compelling female characters. The women in Nolan's films are generally bland, despite the talented actresses that he gets to play them. Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) is one of the least interesting characters in Nolan's mind-bending sci-fi action epic "Tenet." The romantic subplot between Kat and the Protagonist (John David Washington) is never very believable, and their flirtations feel especially stilted.

Kat is the wife of the Russian oligarch Andrei Sator (Sir Kenneth Branagh). Sator communicates with the future in order to conceive of his evil plan. Kat is only interested in protecting her son and betrays Sator in order to keep her child safe. However, Kat is still a wealthy woman who deals in antique artwork. If she had ended up betraying the Protagonist and Neil (Robert Pattinson), it could have given the film more emotional stakes. "Tenet" is a spy film. It would have been cool to see Nolan acknowledge noir classics by having Kat transform into a femme fatale. It's certainly a role that Debicki could handle, but she isn't given the chance to shine in "Tenet."

Vern Fenwick, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows (2016)

The 2014 film "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was a massive disappointment for longtime fans of the comics and the original cartoon. Not only did the CGI versions of the turtles look creepy, but the film had the same crass, obnoxious humor as Michael Bay's "Transformers" films. There is not enough time dedicated to showing the four turtles becoming heroes. Instead, the film inserts cringe-inducing comedy scenes featuring April O'Neil (Megan Fox) and her goofy cameraman, Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett).

Instead of learning from the first film's mistakes, the 2016 sequel "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" doubles down on everything that had made it so underwhelming. Vern is actually given more to do, though. He takes credit for saving the city and constantly tries to flirt with April. What if he had gone one step farther? What if he tried to betray April and team up with Krang (Brad Garrett) to destroy Earth? Arnett is an extremely talented actor, and he's absolutely wasted in the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" films. Letting him give an over-the-top villain performance certainly would have been fun.

Agent K, Men In Black II (2002)

The 2002 sequel "Men in Black II" failed to capture the magic of the original. In the first film, the relationship between Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) felt fresh and exciting. J learns about the aliens that are living on Earth as he trains with K. In the sequel, this fun dynamic falls completely flat. K's memory was wiped at the end of the first film, and J has to restore his mind. This subplot just wastes time.

Tommy Lee Jones looks like he doesn't even want to be on set. K's grizzled cynicism was humorous in the first film, but in the sequel, it is just obnoxious. K has a good reason to be upset with J. K had his memory erased so that he could live a normal life, and now J has destroyed that. Perhaps, K's anger with J could have sparked a conflict between the two. Considering that the film's actual villain, Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle), isn't very compelling, creating a rift in the original partnership would have been a twist on the buddy cop formula.

President Camacho, Idiocracy (2006)

It's a little bit scary how predictive the 2006 satire "Idiocracy" ended up being. The film follows the "most average" human being on the planet, U.S. Army librarian Corporal Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson). Joe is selected for an experimental program, where he is kept alive for 500 years in suspended animation. Joe wakes up in 2505 when the average IQ of the population has severely declined. As a result, Joe is now the smartest human being on the planet.

A film about the worldwide population ignoring science may have been funny in 2006, but in 2022, it feels a bit unnerving. The one thing that "Idiocracy" didn't predict was a totalitarian dictator in the White House who refuses to give up power. President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho (Terry Crews) is hardly a nice guy, but he ends up listening to Joe in the end. He isn't upset when Joe is elected as the new President. 

It's perhaps the only optimistic aspect of the film, but things could have been very different had Camacho not been so understanding. "Idiocracy" director Mike Judge actually planned to weaponize the Camacho character for an "anti-Trump" PSA, but his ideas were turned down by 20th Century Fox. If only Judge had been able to see through with his vision.

Dr. Nathan Lind, Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)

2021's "Godzilla vs. Kong" is the best film in the "Monsterverse" so far. Why? It spends the least amount of time focused on the human characters. 2014's "Godzilla," "Kong: Skull Island," and "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" all assembled amazing casts, but suffered from bland writing. Audiences showed up to see the monsters; they didn't want to waste time with these pesky humans! Although "Godzilla vs. Kong" spends the most time dedicated to the massive creatures themselves, it has the worst protagonist of the entire franchise.

Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) is recovering from the death of his brother. Nathan reluctantly agrees to help lead an expedition into the Hollow Earth. He's mostly there to recite expositional lines to the audience. At least actors like Brian Tyree Henry, Millie Bobbie Brown, and Rebecca Hall seem like they are having fun saying the ridiculous lines.

The actual villain subplot in "Godzilla vs. Kong" seemingly comes out of nowhere. The wealthy CEO Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir) activates Mechagodzilla, forcing Godzilla and Kong to team up. Having Nathan take control of Mechagodzilla may have been more rewarding. We know that Skarsgård can be a great villain already, thanks to "Big Little Lies."

John Preston, Equilibrium (2002)

2002's "Equilibrium" takes place in a dystopian future, where a totalitarian government has taken over in the aftermath of World War III. Humans are strictly prohibited from expressing emotion. "Sense Offenders" that violate the guidelines are purged from society by government officers called "Clerics." John Preston (Christian Bale) is one of the most ruthless Clerics. Early in the film, he executes his partner, Errol Partridge (Sean Bean), for disobeying the rules.

However, Preston ultimately realizes the error of his ways. He rebels against the system and fights for the future of mankind. This isn't very realistic given what we already know about him. Preston has shown his unflinching commitment to the government; he allowed his wife to be executed for being a "Sense Offender." It's also difficult for the audience to relate to Preston, as they have already witnessed his execution of Partridge. "Equilibrium" would have been more powerful if Preston had accepted everything that he has been taught to believe. This would have effectively shown the damaging effects of fascism and propaganda.

Louis Reed, The Adam Project (2022)

"The Adam Project" suffers because of its lack of self-awareness. Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds collaborated on the enjoyable satire "Free Guy," but none of what made that movie work translated to "The Adam Project." The film follows pilot Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds), who goes back in time to find his younger self (Walker Scobell). Adam should be a likable character, but he's very dismissive of his mother, Ellie (Jennifer Garner). Instead of appreciating his mother for all of her hard work, Adam dreams about his father, Louis (Mark Ruffalo), who has passed away.

Louis was a scientist that was experimenting with time travel, and the two Adams go back in time to find their father. The entire family has to work together to defeat the evil business tycoon Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener), who has monopolized time travel in order to become the most powerful person in the world. Keener's over-the-top performance sticks out like a sore thumb. It would have been much more emotionally resonant if Louis ended up being the villain. Adam would learn that instead of idealizing his father, he should have taken the time to appreciate his mother. We all need to appreciate Jennifer Garner!

Shane Dyson, Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014)

2014's "Transformers: Age of Extinction" brought the science fiction franchise to a new low, if that was even possible. The human characters in Michael Bay's "Transformers" franchise have never been very compelling, but the protagonists of "Age of Extinction" are downright detestable. The film actually contains a scene in which the greasy racer Shane Dyson (Jack Reynor) justifies his relationship with an underage girl, Tessa Yeager (Nicola Peltz). He cites the "Romeo and Juliet law." "Transformers" fans were used to disappointment, but this was downright offensive.

The film doubles down on its justification of Shane's actions by allowing Tessa's father, Cade, (Mark Wahlberg) to forgive him. Shane, Tessa, and Cade all work together to help the Autobots. The issue with the film is that Cade never truly proves himself to be a great father. He claims that he loves his daughter, but never shows any evidence to support that.

Shane is already established as being malicious in his intentions, and having human characters team up with the Decepticons isn't that far-fetched for the franchise. Earlier in the film, the CIA operative Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) releases Galvatron in an attempt to kill Optimus Prime. Instead of a bland government tycoon, wouldn't it have been more interesting if Shane had allied himself with Megatron?

Howard The Duck, Howard The Duck (1986)

1986's "Howard the Duck" is truly one of the most baffling movies ever made. Regardless of how you feel about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's hard to argue that Marvel comic book adaptations could get any worse. The film is a tonal nightmare; it's too mature for younger viewers due to the sexual innuendos, but it's too wacky for adults because of the ridiculous characters. On top of that, the titular duck himself is downright unlikeable. Howard is rude and cynical, but not very clever.

The original "Howard the Duck" comic books by Steve Gerber were satirical of Marvel properties. Although we now have a self-aware Marvel hero in the form of Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool," it would be interesting to see Howard the Duck revamped as a villain in the MCU. Seth Green joined the series as Howard for a brief cameo in the post-credit scene of 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy." Green later reprised his role in the Disney+ series "What If... ?" We already know that Howard is friendly with shady characters like Taneleer Tivan (Benicio del Toro). Perhaps he could become a new thorn in the Guardians' side?

Claire Dearing, Jurassic World (2015)

"Jurassic World" pales in comparison to the original 1993 classic. There is a fundamental issue with the way that the film depicts its characters. In "Jurassic Park," Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) make responsible decisions to keep everyone in the park safe. Their primary concern is avoiding the loss of life. In "Jurassic World," the new park director, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), acts irresponsibly in order to avoid causing a public relations fiasco.

In a logical sequel, Claire would be sent to prison for her crimes. However, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" and "Jurassic World Dominion" double down on making her the hero. There's nothing worse than a protagonist that does not learn from their mistakes or face the consequences of their actions. This is why turning Claire into the antagonist of the "Jurassic World" trilogy would have been more engaging. The "Jurassic Park" franchise does not have any recurring human villains, so giving Howard a continuous antagonist role could have helped the new trilogy distinguish itself from its predecessors.

Carmen Ibanez, Starship Troopers (1997)

"Starship Troopers" was vastly misunderstood upon its initial release. Those that found the film's characters to be one-note were missing the point that director Paul Verhoeven was making. "Starship Troopers" is a satire of propaganda films and the dehumanizing effects of fascism. The seemingly heroic protagonists lose their humanity as they are sucked into a military-industrial system that only contributes to the cycle of violence.

What's incredible about "Starship Troopers" is that beyond the satire, there is a tragedy to the story of Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien). Johnny spends the entire film dreaming about his reunion with his high school sweetheart, Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards). He's ignorant of the fact that he is falling in love with his fellow soldier, Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer) until it's too late. Dizzy is killed during a battle with the alien bugs and dies in Johnny's arms.

When Johnny, Carmen, and their friend Carl Jenkins (Neil Patrick Harris) reunite during the film's conclusion, they've all blindly accepted the military jingoism that they've been fed. If Verhoeven had gone a more optimistic route, or allowed Carmen to lean into a more interesting, antagonistic storyline based on that blind loyalty, Johnny could have recognized that his former girlfriend is no longer worth saving.

Read this next: The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movie Villains

The post Sci-Fi Movie Heroes That Would Make Way Better Villains appeared first on /Film.

During my time in the industry, I've seen a couple of interesting aspects of "information sharing". One is that not many like to do it. The other is that, over time, content creation and consumption has changed pretty dramatically.

Back in the day, folks like Chris Pogue, with his The Digital Standard blog, and Corey Harrell with his Journey Into IR blog, and even more recently, Mari with her Another Forensics Blog have all provided a great deal of relevant, well-developed information. A lot of what Mari shared as far back as 2015 has even been relevant very recently, particularly regarding deleted data in SQLite databases. And, puh-LEASE, let's not forget Jolanta Thomassen, who, in 2008, published her dissertation addressing unallocated space in Registry hives, along with the first tool (regslack) to parse and extract those contents - truly seminal work!

Many may not be aware, but there are some unsung heroes in the DFIR industry, unrecognized contributors who are developing and sharing some incredible content, but without really tooting their own horn. These folks have been doing some really phenomenal work that needs to be called out and held up, so I'm gonna toot their horn for them! So, in no particular order...

Lina is an IR consultant with Secureworks (an org for which I am an alum), and as string of alphabet soup following her name. Lina has developed some pretty incredible content, which she shares via her blog, as well as via LinkedIn, and in tweet threads. One of her posts I've enjoyed in particular is this one regarding clipboard analysis. Lina's content has always been well-considered, well-constructed, and very thoughtful. I have always enjoyed when content produced by practitioners, as it's very often the most relevant.

Krz is another analyst, and has dropped a good deal of high quality content, as well as written some of his own tools (including RegRipper plugins), which he also shares via Github. Not only did Krz uncover that Windows Updates will clear out valuable forensic resources, but also did some considerable research into how a system going on battery power impacts that system, and subsequently, forensic analysis.

Patrick Siewert has hung out his own shingle, and does a lot of work in the law enforcement and legal communities, in addition to sharing some pretty fascinating content. I have never had the opportunity to work with mobile devices (beyond laptops), but Patrick's article on cellular records analysis is a thorough and interesting treatment of the topic. 

Julian-Ferdinand Vögele recently shared a fascinating article titled The Rise of LNK Files, dropping a really good description of Windows shortcut files and their use. Anyone who's followed me for any amount of time knows I'm more than mildly interested in this topic, from a digital forensic and threat intel perspective. He's got some other really interesting articles on his blog, including this one regarding Scheduled Tasks, and like the other folks mentioned here, I'm looking forward to more great content in the future.

If you're looking for something less on the deep technical side or less DFIR focused, check out Maril's content. She's a leader in the "purple team" space, and she's got some really great content on personal branding that I strongly recommend that everyone take the time to watch, follow, digest, and consider. To add to that, it seems that Maril and her partners-in-crime (other #womenincyber) will be dropping the CyberQueensPodcast starting in Sept.

If you're into podcasts, give Jax a listen over at Outpost Gray (she also co-hosts the 2 Cyber Chicks podcast) and in particular, catch her chat with Dorota Koslowska tomorrow (25 Aug). Jax is a former US Army special ops EW/cyber warrant officer, and as you can imagine, she brings an interesting perspective to a range of subjects, a good bit of which she shares via her blog.

Let's be sure to recognize those who produce exceptional content, and in particular those who do so on a regular basis!

Anyone who's a fan of Rob Zombie's music career knows the rocker has a playful approach to his material that can dive straight into the humorous and farcical. After all, anyone who entitles a song "Well, Everybody's F***ing in a U.F.O." (a song that features a lead vocal from Zombie performed in a faux-Southern drawl) isn't taking themselves too seriously.

Yet what fans of Rob Zombie (or Robert Bartleh Cummings, if you aren't into the whole brevity thing) also know is that the artist is as multi-faceted as he is talented. His movies, despite existing exclusively within the horror genre, feature a variety of stylistic approaches and tones. His horror films are among the most brutal ever made, with "The Devil's Rejects," "Halloween II" and "The Lords of Salem" being exceedingly grim films that never allow the audience even a tiny breather with humor or lazy facetiousness.

While even those movies have their tiny moments of levity, Zombie has never made a fully-fledged live-action horror-comedy, except for his debut feature, "House of 1000 Corpses," which introduced the rocker to the big screen with his spook-a-rama vibes intact. As Zombie's film version of "The Munsters" approaches its release next month (which is clearly a goofy — and PG rated! — comedy), it's a good opportunity to take a closer look at the director's thoughts on humor in horror.

'I Just Needed To Get That Kind Of Horror Movie Out Of My System'

Zombie is one of those artists whose life and interests are so clearly reflected in his art that his career seems almost like the product of destiny as much as hard work. Growing up the son of parents who lived and worked in a traveling carnival, Zombie loved horror movies, Halloween and rock 'n' roll. After studying at (and being kicked out of) New York's Parsons School of Design, it was in music that he first found success, forming a band called White Zombie and writing a lot of songs with horror themes and subjects.

After directing a handful of music videos throughout the '90s and designing a spooky attraction for Universal Studios in 1999, Zombie was given the chance to develop his first feature, a movie that would become "House of 1000 Corpses." The movie follows a group of naive young adults who happen upon a dilapidated tourist trap that leads them to the garish, Gothic home of the Firefly family, who of course are a not-so-secretly a group of depraved murderers.

In other words, the movie is very much the kind of film one might expect from Zombie the musician, a quality the director acknowledged in a 2013 interview for Complex. As he said, "'House of 1,000 Corpses' pretty much stands alone. I just needed to get that kind of horror movie out of my system."

Zombie Sought To Bring A Dangerous Edge Back To The Horror Film

After "House of 1000 Corpses" and all of its outrageous, goofy Dr. Satan-ness was out of Zombie's system, the director had a clear agenda for his movie career going forward. In that same Complex interview, Zombie stated that "with each subsequent film I've wanted to make [my movies] grittier and darker."

Sure enough, Zombie's follow-up to "Corpses," "The Devil's Rejects," is a powerfully gritty and almost no-nonsense horror-crime film that not only proved the filmmaker had the ability to achieve a different tone, but could do so within the same fictional universe. His remake of John Carpenter's "Halloween" and its subsequent sequel, "Halloween II," are two of the bleakest slasher movies ever made, and "The Lords of Salem" — arguably Zombie's high point as a director — perfectly evokes the unsafe and artistically minded (as opposed to commercially minded) horror movie of the '70s. It's those '70s classics that Zombie was attempting to evoke, not just in form but in mood. As he explained:

"That's the way I remember horror. These days, most horror movies seem to be rated PG-13 and they really want them to appeal to a wider audience, whereas all the films I grew up watching and loving, from 'The Holy Mountain' to 'Eraserhead' and something like 'Cannibal Holocaust,' they didn't appeal to everybody. They had a very heavy tone. They weren't made for everybody. That's the way I look at my movies: You can't please everybody with this kind of material. And in order to please everybody, it seems like you have to water it down so much. I don't care to do that."

Zombie Doesn't Abandon Horror-Comedy Completely

Yet it would be a fallacy to claim that Zombie has either lost his cinematic sense of humor or abandoned it in favor of a single-minded quest to make the horror movie challenging again. Even though his aforementioned films are quite downbeat, they all feature some humorous moments sprinkled throughout (witness the cameo by "Weird" Al Yankovic in "Halloween II"), and many of Zombie's characters walk a tightrope in terms of tonal shifts. For instance, the portrayal of the Firefly family in "Rejects" and "3 From Hell" is highly akin to the similarly uncomfortable clown-like nature of evil characters in the films of Tobe Hooper and John McNaughton.

There's also the fact that Zombie never completely abandoned making out-and-out horror-comedy. His faux trailer for 2007's "Grindhouse" plays up the concept's goofiness, and, even though he called "House of 1000 Corpses" a "wacky cartoon" when compared to "The Lords of Salem," he directed an actual cartoon film in 2009 entitled "The Haunted World of El Superbeasto."

With "The Munsters," it appears Zombie is further stretching his range and his image, making his very first PG-rated, family-friendly feature. It's a testament to how effectively he'd crafted the persona of Rob Zombie, the uncompromising, R-rated horror director, that such news came as a shock. Yet if there's anything the son of amusement park folks knows, it's how to put on a rollercoaster of a show.

Read this next: 12 Underrated Slasher Movies You Need To Check Out

The post Why Rob Zombie Made It A Point To Remove Humor From His Horror appeared first on /Film.

Continuing the focus on delivering the world's fastest internet speeds that led Chattanooga's municipal utility to launch America's first comprehensively available Gig-speed internet service (2010) and the first 10-Gig internet service (2015), EPB has launched the nation's first community-wide 25 gigabits per second (25,000 Mbps) internet service. Chattanoogan reports: It is set to be available to all residential and commercial customers over a 100 percent fiber optic network with symmetrical upload and download speeds. Through a partnership with Hamilton County and the city of Chattanooga, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Convention Center is EPB's first 25 Gig customer, making it the first convention center worldwide to offer such blazingly fast speeds over a broadband network. With this technology, the Convention Center will be able to simultaneously provide high bandwidth connectivity to thousands of smart devices to draw business conferences, e-gaming competitions, live streaming events and more. Hamilton County and the city of Chattanooga have each dedicated $151,000 in infrastructure funding for a total of $302,000 to cover the cost of installing new networking equipment and Wi-Fi access points throughout the convention center as well as much of the cost of providing multi-gig connectivity for the next five years. Once the new equipment is installed, visitors will be able to benefit from high-speed connectivity throughout the facility.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Denuvo, the company best known for its heavily-criticized PC gaming DRM technology, has set its sights on a new scourge: Nintendo Switch piracy. Kotaku reports: The software maker announced during GamesCom 2022 on Wednesday that it will begin selling a new product called Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection to prevent Switch games from being pirated on PC. It doesn't appear to be partnering with Nintendo on the initiative, which instead seems aimed mostly at third-party publishers of multiplatform games. "As with all other Denuvo solutions, the technology integrates seamlessly into the build toolchain with no impact on the gaming experience. It then allows for the insertion of checks into the code, which blocks gameplay on emulators," the company wrote in a press release. In the past, however, Denuvo's "checks" have been accused of making some games run worse. "Even if a game is protected against piracy on its PC version, the released version on Switch can be emulated from day one and played on PC, therefore bypassing the strong protections offered on the PC version," Denuvo wrote. "The Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection will ensure that anyone wishing to play the game has to buy a legitimate copy."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Dying Light 2 developer Techland announced the release date of the first arena-themed DLC, Bloody Ties, at Gamescom Opening Night Live. They also released the first community update on PC, with consoles getting the patch soon. With this update, Techland focused mainly on feedback received directly from the players.

New options:

• Added a new Color Grading option in Video settings. Try "Gritty" to make your game look similar to the Dying Light 2 2019 gameplay presentations.
• Added possibility to toggle Chromatic Aberration (on/off) in Video settings.

General improvements:

• Various graphical improvements, including new screen space ambient occlusion (SSA01 implementation.
• Various image clarity improvements, including new temporal anti-aliasing (TM) implementation and improved texture filtering.
• Weapon mods can now increase weapons' maximum durability.

PC version:

• Added AMD FSR 2.0 support.
• Improved management of GPU memory in DirectX 12 mode, especially when Ray-Tracing is enabled.

Changes to Infected:

• More Biters are now roaming The City.
• Biters are now more aggressive at night. Virals are now much more vigilant and will leave their hideouts more eagerly if they hear a fight nearby.
• You will encounter more Special Infected at night.
• Be wary of Dark Hollows and Forsaken Stores during the day - encounters there can be quite VOLATILE.

PS5 version:

• Added Balanced Mode.
• Added Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support for "Performance Mode".
• Resolution Mode works in native 4K/30 FPS.

Xbox Series X version:

• Increased resolution for Balanced Mode.
• Resolution Mode works in native 4K/30 FPS.

And much more!

Dying Light 2 Bloody Ties will be available on October 13th for all platforms, priced at $9.99 as a standalone DLC.

NEW STORY

Embark on a new Dying Light 2 adventure. Secure yourself a spot in the Pantheon of the best fighters, help your new friend Ciro in his quest to avenge his brother’s death and discover the true nature of the tournament.

NEW LOCATION

Enter Carnage Hall - a place filled with wealth and splendor, where every fight is a narrative spectacle and the strongest seek fortune and fame.

NEW WEAPON: SHIELD GLOVE

Discover a new way to play with the Shield Glove, and make creative combat in Dying Light 2 even more creative.

NEW GEAR

Obtain new gear in the tournament where strength matters the most and weapons are a symbol of status.

SPECTACLES & SHOWS

Play the role of your life in Spectacles - multi-objective arena shows with unique stories narrated by Astrid herself, each resembling traditional tales and fables with a wicked twist. Test your skill in arena challenges - special trials where you’ll fight new mutated enemies, face murderous hordes, and get to perform daredevil action.

The post Dying Light 2 Community Update Adds FSR 2.0 and Much More by Alessio Palumbo appeared first on Wccftech.

What’s the best antivirus software? For all PC-owners the best antivirus should be an important part of your repertoire. You don’t want to have your save files corrupted, or your logins leaked so that any digital criminal can steal all your personal information and anything else that you have stored on your PC.

Well, many gamers are content with Microsoft Defender. Built-in with all modern Windows platforms, Microsoft Defender provides a solid antivirus, along with malware defence, biometric logins (e.g. fingerprints), and more. By all means, it’s not a bad place to start, but what about those who aren’t fond of Windows Defender? Or those who are looking for something a little more comprehensive?

We’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ve gone over eight of the best antivirus providers, weighing up the costs and benefits of each one in order to help you better defend your own PC. Combine these with the most secure VPN services or the best gaming VPN and you'll have a really solid privacy and security set-up.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming

Today, Irdeto announced a new Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection software devised by its Denuvo division. In short, it aims to block Nintendo Switch emulators on PC from running newly released games.

Nintendo consoles have long suffered from piracy issues and the Switch is no different. Even if a game is protected against piracy on its PC version, the released version on Switch can be emulated from day one and played on PC, therefore bypassing the strong protections offered on the PC version. This can happen with any of the numerous games available on Switch.

By preventing piracy on Switch while blocking unauthorized emulations on PC, studios are able to increase their revenue during the game launch window, which is the most important period in regard to monetization. The Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection will ensure that anyone wishing to play the game has to buy a legitimate copy.

As with all other Denuvo solutions, the technology integrates seamlessly into the build toolchain with no impact on the gaming experience. It then allows for the insertion of checks into the code, which  blocks gameplay on emulators.

Reinhard Blaukovitsch, Managing Director at Denuvo by Irdeto, stated:

We at Denuvo understand that piracy negatively affects the gaming industry and are working with the industry parties to ensure they have the latest protection technologies available for them. Our team is excited to provide a solution that helps the developers and publishers to help fight the issue of Nintendo Switch piracy.

Denuvo has often been under fire from PC gamers because of the potential negative impact of its DRM software on game performance. The company did expand on PlayStation 5 last year, though that initiative focused on fighting cheats.

Needless to say, this Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection software could be a problem for the likes of Yuzu and Ryujinx, though the extent to which game developers and publishers (Nintendo included) will use it is presently unclear.

The post Denuvo to Introduce Switch Emulator Protection Software by Alessio Palumbo appeared first on Wccftech.

More than three-quarters of security professionals in large organizations believe the world is now in a state of perpetual cyberwar – and 82% consider that geopolitics and cybersecurity are fundamentally linked.

read more

I think it is safe to say that, as of when this is being written, "Top Gun: Maverick" is the film of 2022. Now, you may not consider it the best film of the year, but in terms of impact on the world at large, nothing beats it. Its status as a box office juggernaut has been firmly established, having grossed an astounding $1.4 billion worldwide and consistently holding a place in the top five domestically every weekend. The film only just hit digital retailers for purchase yesterday. Even more unheard of in today's quickening theaters to home video pipeline, its physical media release on 4K and Blu-ray won't be until November 1, 2022 — 23 weeks after its initial release. Tom Cruise and Paramount have successfully turned "Top Gun: Maverick" into an event. It helps they made a great movie as well.

Because this is Hollywood, you cannot simply have one enormous success with a picture and be content with it. No, we must immediately be discussing the possibility of a sequel. As Tom Cruise is now 60 years old, the possibility of waiting another 36 years for a sequel seems out of the question, so if one comes along, it would have to be relatively soon. Nothing has been announced, and the people involved are skittish to broach the notion. Frankly, if a sequel were ever to happen, it all comes down to Tom Cruise.

Tom Needs A Good Story

Tom Cruise rarely agrees to a film on a whim. "Top Gun: Maverick" was his first picture since "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" four years ago. He's at a stage in his career where he and his chief collaborator Christopher McQuarrie carefully hone their projects to be the highly effective pieces of entertainment that only a movie star like Cruise can deliver. The whizz-bang spectacle of stunts are what jump out at the audience, but what Cruise really requires when he makes a movie is a rock solid story. You listen to just about any interview with him, such as his recent appearance on the Light the Fuse podcast, and he constantly preaches the gospel of the importance of story.

Variety recently spoke to the producer of "Top Gun: Maverick," Jerry Bruckheimer, about the possibility of a third film in the "Top Gun" franchise, and he very plainly laid out that it's really up to Tom to decide:

"You have to wait and see if you get the right story ... and if Tom wants to play this character again."

Director Joseph Kosinski similarly wasn't bullish on the idea, giving a simple, "Boy, I don't know." I have no doubt everyone involved feels a tremendous amount of pressure to capitalize on the success, but Tom Cruise is too savvy of a Hollywood player to jump the gun on this. If a "Top Gun: Maverick" sequel sees the light of day, I don't think it will be for at least five years. He still needs to wrap up two "Mission: Impossible" movies, not to mention the other projects he and McQuarrie have been developing. At that point, he'd be 65, and while he's certainly defied much of the aging process, it comes for us all eventually.

Read this next: 14 Sequels That Truly Didn't Need To Happen

The post Will Top Gun: Maverick Ever Get A Sequel? appeared first on /Film.

A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) catalogs all libraries, dependencies and transitive dependencies present in an application. This critical piece of the development and security puzzle allows development and security teams to identify outdated, unlicensed or untrusted first-party and third-party libraries that require updates or removal. 

Mobile app development and security teams can use SBOMs to deliver secure mobile apps faster. Developers commonly rely on third-party and open-source libraries to build mobile apps and teams need an easy, scalable way to recognize the dependencies their applications have. SBOMs do exactly this, and when formatted in industry-standard formats like CycloneDX or SPDX, they are machine readable, writable and can be translated into other formats quickly and easily to use within your systems and workflows. 

Teams can use mobile SBOMs in four key ways:

1. Comply with the White House Cybersecurity Executive Order (EO) to produce an SBOM for all software purchased and used by the federal government. 
2. Gain visibility into the components used by a mobile application, including hard-to-find transitive dependencies.
3. Aid identification of third-party libraries for completion of Google Play Data safety declarations.
4. Integrate directly into dev tools such as GitHub Dependabot as part of shift left strategy.

Interest in SBOMs surged following the mandates of the White House Cybersecurity Executive Order 14028, “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.” The EO stipulated that U.S. government agencies that create applications, and any business that sells applications to the government, must produce a SBOM to be considered for future purchases and use, and failure to do so would result in the removal of the noncompliant software. Mobile applications were included in these requirements. The EO kickstarted the conversation around SBOMs and spurred government action. NIST published new Security Measures, OMB issued four Memos (M-21-30, M-21-31, M-22-01, and M-22-09), and Congress updated the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA).  These initiatives demonstrate the U.S. government’s desire to  improve the security of all applications, including mobile applications, produced by and used by its agencies. 

The application security testing industry has reacted quickly to strengthen security and generate SBOM information to guard against supply-chain attacks like SolarWinds and Log4j. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) introduced a lightweight standard design for SBOM data meant to simplify consuming dependency data called OWASP CycloneDX. 

Other mobile application security standards such as the new Google Play Data safety section and the App Defense Alliance (ADA) Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) require identification of third-party dependency risk. The Google Play Data safety section requires the identification of third-party libraries or SDKs in the app that collect or share data. The new ADA MASA requirements are based on the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) and require “All third-party components used by the mobile app, such as libraries and frameworks, are identified, and checked for known vulnerabilities.”

Benefits of Using Mobile Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

In addition to complying with the cybersecurity EO, SBOMs provide helpful visibility. By analyzing the version of each first-party and third-party library found and comparing it to the most current published version, developers can identify out-of-date libraries that need to be updated. This same information gives development and security teams insight into libraries that were meant to be retired or removed from the application but remain in the code as a dependency or transitive dependency. Transitive dependencies are particularly difficult to identify and remove manually or with statically generated SBOMs because of their nested nature. Dynamically generated SBOMs provide enhanced visibility into the dependencies of dependencies to make it easier to identify those that must be removed. Libraries that are unlicensed or restrictive can also be identified in this way because most SBOMs include the relevant license information by component. 

SBOM data also enables developers to accurately complete the new required Google Play Data safety section. Before uploading a new app or updating one in Play Console, developers must complete the new Google Play Data safety section outlining how their mobile apps collect, handle and secure user data.

They can also obtain an optional Independent Security Review from an ADA Authorized Lab to certify the mobile apps meet industry wide standards for security and privacy. This information will be shown in the Play Store listing to inform users about the mobile app’s privacy and security practices. The Data safety requirements also apply to the data collected and handled through any third-party libraries or SDKs included in the mobile app. A developer can combine the list of libraries provided in a SBOM with information from the SDK providers’ published data safety section or the Google Play SDK Index to check for a link for guidance. 

To complete the Data safety form in the Play Console, developers must comply with the requirements and the User Data policy. The requirement includes disclosing the libraries and SDKs that collect any data from the user’s device and any libraries or SDKs that share data collected with a third party. This also applies to APIs that an app uses. 

New app submissions and app updates that are non-compliant have received warnings beginning July 20, 2022, and as of August 22, 2022 all new apps and app updates will require a completed Data safety form. The app will no longer be published if the Data safety section is incomplete. If there are any outstanding discrepancies in the information provided, users will see an error message in the listing that says “No information available” and developers will have to work to resolve those issues. 

The data provided from SBOMs can be a critical piece to quickly, easily, and accurately completing the Data safety form in the Play Console. 

Integrating SBOM Data Into Dev Tools

Integrating security into the software development lifecycle is a cornerstone of DevSecOps. Integrating dependency information into the tools dev teams are using greatly eases finding libraries devs are using that may not be approved. Populating a GitHub Dependency graph with the information from an SBOM enables developers to quickly recognize dependencies using out-of-date versions and update them all in the same tool. Some dependency tracking tools provide Software Composition Analysis that checks the dependencies in an application for known vulnerabilities. 

Developers can integrate many SBOM generation tools into the pipeline they use every day with similar methods to integrating security analysis tools. Tools like Jenkins and CI/CD tools like GitHub enable SBOM generation at build time, and results can be fed directly to development or security teams in ticketing systems like Jira. The teams can then analyze the results for outdated or unapproved libraries, and quickly take steps to mitigate or remediate risks. 

DevSecOps speeds the deployment of secure code as does integrating the data from an SBOM. Shifting dependency identification and tracking left empowers developers to identify anything that needs to be updated or removed earlier in the development process, saving time, headaches and money later. 

Using a NowSecure Dynamic SBOM

NowSecure launched the world’s first Dynamic SBOM for Mobile Apps to help development and security teams gain visibility into the critical components of any Android or iOS mobile app to better understand supply-chain risks. This SBOM goes beyond the traditional SBOM produced through manual efforts and source-code analysis by running both static and dynamic analysis of the compiled mobile app binary on real iOS and Android devices. The SBOM includes rich detail about native and third-party libraries and frameworks identified as direct or transitive dependencies, API endpoints, data transmission location, and a summary of vulnerability information, all available in PDF or CycloneDX format. 

A NowSecure SBOM provides immediate visibility into the libraries and frameworks included in the mobile app, enables the discovery of libraries and frameworks that are using older and outdated versions, helps identify components that remain but were previously required to be removed, uncovers component licenses that may violate internal and external policies, and provides information on where data is going, including unapproved APIs and geolocations. 

By combining a NowSecure SBOM with the Google Play SDK Index, developers can more accurately provide the information required by the new Google Play Data safety section. NowSecure is also an ADA Authorized Lab that can perform an independent security review for MASA validation. NowSecure also released the NowSecure GitHub Action for Mobile SBOM  GitHub Action to dynamically generate an SBOM and populate the GitHub Dependency Graph in Dependabot. This empowers mobile app developers to view their dependency information directly in their GitHub repositories to extend visibility and protect their supply chain. 

Register for a free NowSecure SBOM 10-pack, try out the NowSecure GitHub Mobile SBOM Action, or sign up for a free ADA MASA “smoke test” today and see how SBOMs can help your teams ship secure mobile apps faster.

The post 4 Things You Can Do with a Mobile SBOM appeared first on NowSecure.