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The massive growth of data capacity in the cloud and big data era poses new challenges for data storage and protection, shifting from traditional familiar IT architecture to cloud architecture, virtualization, and hyper-convergence as representative technology upgrade iterations, accelerating the technical means of data protection. Cyber-attacks have become more common in recent years. According to the SonicWALL , ransomware attacks have surged by 232% since 2019. Here are a few examples of severe data breaches caused by ransomware. 2022 Cyber Threat Report Accenture Accenture left at least four AWS S3 storage buckets insecure in 2017, according to UpGuard, the world's first cyber resiliency startup, which discovered this in its cyber risk analysis. Unrestricted authentication details, private API data, digital certificates, decryption keys, user data, and meta information were all exposed in the hack. According to UpGuard's security investigation, the public had access to 137GB of data. As a result, cybercriminals exploited this information to defame people and extort money. Some of the stolen data were also made public on the dark web. Accenture was hit by the LockBit ransomware once more in August 2021. This time, the company was aware of the infiltration during an audit in the fourth quarter of 2021. As a result of the 2021 data breach, Accenture suspected a series of attacks on client networks, including misconceptions of vital systems, unintended leaks, and subsequent malware infections. The perpetrators, the LockBit ransomware, claim to have stolen 6 gigabytes of data from the attack and are holding it for a $50 million ransom. Verizon Due to an AWS S3 configuration issue, Verizon's third-party queue NiceSystems inadvertently disclosed user PPI in 2017. Because of Nice's blunder, the attacker was able to obtain more consumer call data. Verizon recorded 29,207 security incidents in 2020, with 5,200 of them confirmed as intrusions. DDoS attacks targeted the telecom behemoth; social engineering and client-side web application infections drove each attack, exposing server-side systems. Kaseya Kaseya, based in Miami, made a statement on July 2, 2021, stating that their Kaseya VSA software is vulnerable and has been compromised by the REvil hacker ransom organization and that it has shut down its SaaS servers and advised all clients to take down their VSA servers. Kaseya provides remote management software services for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), and this incident is widespread due to the global reach of MSP providers' customers, with Coop, one of Sweden's largest supermarket chains, being forced to shut down services at more than 800 stores nationwide as a result of the supply chain ransom attack. In February 2019, the Gandcrab ransomware organization exploited a vulnerability in the Kaseya plugin for ConnectWise Manage software to spread malware on MSP's customer network, marking the third time Kaseya products have been utilized in a ransomware deployment event. The REvil ransomware organization used an open RDP service to launch an attack against MSPs using the Webroot SecureAnywhere and Kaseya VSA solutions to distribute malware to their customers' networks in June 2019. Cognyte Cognyte, a cybersecurity analytics company, committed a mistake in May 2021 that rendered their database unprotected without authentication protocols. This blunder allowed cybercriminals to access 5 billion user records. Customers were notified of the third-party data breach by the comparative data provided by Cognyte's database. User credentials such as names, email addresses, passwords, and susceptible data points in the system were among the information disclosed. Raychat Raychat, an Iranian chat program, has managed to withstand a huge cyberattack. Nearly 267 million usernames, emails, passwords, information, and encrypted chat logs were exposed as a result of a database configuration breach. All of the company's data was destroyed by a targeted bot attack. According to Gizmodo, data was made public due to a MongoDB misconfiguration, allowing cyber attackers to manage the chat application's private data at any time. It demonstrates that bots may easily target NoSQL databases. Enterprises have long been concerned about , and they have gone to tremendous lengths to ensure that essential data is preserved. Every business does not take data backup and disaster recovery of crucial information lightly. The loss of key data spells the end for the company. When data is damaged by irresistible natural forces or human factors, it not only causes significant difficulties in the running of the business but also damages the company's reputation and puts it at a competitive disadvantage, resulting in incalculable losses. data backup and disaster recovery Documents, contacts, contracts, letters, and account numbers are essential for the great majority of enterprises. While contemporary technology aids businesses in managing critical data, it may also allow data to vanish in the blink of an eye. For most businesses, losing data means pausing operations, which will undoubtedly result in a loss of revenue, reputational damage, and the cost of recovery. Statistics show that the average financial loss suffered by small businesses in data loss cases amounts to $120,000, and $1.23 million for large enterprises. We therefore recommend: n Choose an affordable and reliable backup solution that meets your company's demands, and budget for data protection. n Back up at the very least the most crucial data, and better yet, all of it. n Backing up data on a frequent basis and automating it as much as possible; otherwise, it's easy to become engrossed in day-to-day duties and forget to back it up. n Back up your data in two copies, one on physical media and retained on-site, and the other in cloud storage.

Top 5 Cloud Data Breaches of Recent Years

The BitBucket vs GitHub Breakdown You Should Read

The role of the mobile phone has transformed in recent years from that of a portable calling device into a thinking, knowing, digital assistant. Today, smartphones can anticipate our journeys, complete purchases for us, and communicate instantly with billions of users. social media Of course, there are few great innovations that come completely free of discernible downsides, and one of the most significant issues behind the emergence of smartphones is the level of information we confide in them, and the to access our personal details through unsuspecting handset owners. potential for hackers Instances of smartphone hacking are on the rise like never before, with Android being one of the most vulnerable targets. (Image showing most vulnerable operating systems. Image Source: Statista ) But fear not - there are plenty of measures you can take to ensure that you don’t fall victim of prying eyes. Here’s a list of seven simple ways of adding an extra layer of privacy onto your smartphone. Don’t ignore system updates In light of the received recently after it was found that they were deliberately slowing down older models of their phones to encourage sales for their newer handsets, it could be tempting to ignore your system update notifications. fines that both Apple and Samsung However, many of the iOS and Android updates that you’re prompted to download are primarily security-based - and typically help to patch up any vulnerabilities discovered by developers. If you choose to avoid regularly updating your smartphone, it could be significantly more susceptible to attacks. Considering that most Americans are more worried about being a victim of than being a victim of a violent crime, updating your phone software is the least users can do. cybercrime (Image showing % of Americans worried about various things. Image Source: The Best VPN ) Utilise a secure mobile network Given the fact that some of the US cell carriers are location data, it’s never been a better moment to switch to a more secure network. selling your real-time UpGuard where they measured things like SSL encryption, email verification and breach history and gave a score to each carrier. ran research (Image showing score based on security featured of different phone carriers. Image Source: UpGuard ) As you can see, most carriers showed either low or mediocre score. When it comes to the UK, according to , networks like , and are among the best-performing ones. Tech Advisor EE O2 Three Take care on the app store One of the common ways hackers can gain access to your private data is through that pose as if they’re popular applications like WhatsApp and Facebook. When you download these trojan apps, hackers could potentially have the power to take pictures, record audio and access your personal data without you even knowing. rogue apps To minimise the risk of trojan applications, it’s important to take extra care on your respective app stores. Keep on the lookout for developer information and check reviews before going through with a download. If something doesn’t seem right, it could be worth investigating further. Utilise biometrics Modern smartphones have built-in which adds and an invaluable layer of protection for your device. Whether you have fingerprint sensors or facial identification, it’s definitely worth setting them up on your phone. biometric functionality Almost have fingerprint sensors, up from just 19% in 2014. 70% of smartphones (Chart showing the penetration of fingerprint sensors in smartphones from 2014 to 2019. Image Source: Statista ) We’re used to entering passwords in order to access both devices and digital services, and while you have the freedom to make your memorable phrases as complex as possible - they’re still much more susceptible to break-ins than with biometrics. Invest a few minutes in getting these added levels of security set up and then rest assured that your handset is much better protected. Close idle windows Having the ability to automatically log into your applications is a useful advantage of modern technology. The convenience of being able to leave windows open and running behind the scenes on your handset is a great way of saving time too. However, it’s important to and unlocked in the background of your phone. avoid leaving sensitive data open Not only does leaving windows open give physical thieves better access to your personal information, but it also makes it much easier for malware to track and record confidential information. Keep prepared for worst-case scenarios If you haven’t already, set yourself up for tracking services like . While losing the one piece of technology that knows you better than you know yourself might feel like a scenario that doesn’t bear thinking about - the idea of your device falling into the wrong hands for long enough to cause real damage is even worse. ‘Find My iPhone’ Approach open WiFi networks with caution Beware open WiFi networks. With the right set of tools, hackers using the same network could have the ability to take a snoop into what you’re up to online. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid connecting to the free WiFi at your local coffee shop, but it does mean that it’s worth keeping vigilant. Like many of the recommendations in this list, it’s very much worth keeping well away if something doesn’t seem right.

7 Simple Ways of Making Your Smartphones More Private

Over the past few years, the overwhelming popularity of blockchain platforms such as Ethereum and EOS have introduced the world to a new computing paradigm: decentralized applications. Unlike a conventional application that you would find on your smartphone, decentralized applications are not owned and run by a single entity or authority. These apps, also called DApps, offer a host of well-documented advantages, including censorship resistance, trustlessness, and reliability. However, since blockchain-based decentralized applications are still few and far in between, the thought of interacting with one can seem overwhelming and confusing at first. The objective of this article is to answer some of the most common questions related to DApps in three distinct sections - legality, privacy, and digital asset security. Understanding the Legality of DApps Even prior to the introduction of blockchain-based applications, decentralized apps have existed in the form of peer-to-peer platforms such as BitTorrent and TOR. After cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin exploded in popularity, however, enterprising developers quickly realized that there are many use cases of the technology that are yet untapped. Sometime in 2017, the number of DApps on the market started growing exponentially. According to data from the , the number of new releases grew from a mere 10 in January 2017 to 72 just one year later. By December 2018, the number of new DApps per month had grown to 177. Today, there are over 2,500 unique DApps across a variety of blockchain platforms. However, many first-time DApp users are unable to determine whether or not they are legal to use. Let us begin by addressing this common concern. State of the DApps Are DApps Legal to Use? Since the DApp ecosystem is still in its infancy, many jurisdictions around the world have limited to no regulation on the matter. While the legality of DApps has remained mostly unquestioned so far, governments have begun introducing new regulations on digital currencies. In spite of the common belief that cryptocurrencies are illegal, the fact is that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are considered illegal in only 4% of all countries in the world. All other nations do not actively prohibit their citizens from using digital tokens as either currency, commodity, or property. It is also worth noting that many DApps do not require you to use their accompanying digital currency at all. For instance, let’s take the case of Brave Browser’s Basic Attention Token (BAT). In Brave’s ecosystem, users are rewarded for engaging and viewing advertisements from time to time. Users can use their earned BAT within the Brave ecosystem itself, in order to tip content creators or donate to the Brave development team. Since these tokens never leave the platform and the ecosystem, Brave’s product is indistinguishable from any other non-blockchain platform with a virtual economy. Similarly, many other DApps on the market offer tokens with some underlying utility. So far, none of them have come under legal scrutiny, save for exceptional cases where nefarious or fraudulent activity was suspected. How Can I Use DApps If Crypto Is Illegal In My Country? Even if you are living in one of the few countries where cryptocurrencies are considered illegal, chances are that you can use decentralized applications without restriction. , for instance, is a cryptocurrency price prediction platform that does not require users to purchase or trade tokens in order to participate. New users can simply create an account and access the platform’s functionality. Alluva While a handful of governments are divided on the subject of token economies, the vast majority of them do not have any restriction on DApps themselves. In the case of Alluva, the act of simply making a price prediction is not illegal in any part of the world. I’ve Earned Some Tokens From A DApp, How Can I Withdraw My Balance In Fiat? Many DApps allow users to earn tokens on the platform for free, with no upfront investment mandated. As a result, first-time DApp users are often left wondering how they can convert their holdings into fiat currency. The answer is simple: cryptocurrency exchanges or peer to peer trading. In the case of a cryptocurrency exchange, you will likely have to complete a Know Your Customer (KYC) verification process in accordance with local rules and regulations. Once your personal information and supporting documents have been verified by the exchange, you can proceed to immediately trade your holdings against other tokens or fiat currencies. Sometimes, banks or financial institutions may not allow their account holders to use their accounts for cryptocurrency trading. Many DApps are still usable and beneficial because they allow their tokens to be directly exchanged for products and services, which means you can turn those tokens into tangible objects directly, saving yourself the effort of converting it to fiat with which you can purchase those very things. Do I Need To Pay Taxes On My Earnings From A DApp? Whether or not you need to pay taxes on your crypto gains depends entirely on which part of the world you reside in. While some nations tax crypto earnings as part of other income, others treat it as Capital Gains. As for the amount of tax you need to pay, it is worth noting that some countries boast rates that are as high as 50%. Reaching out to a local tax expert for advice specific to your region is always a safe bet. For the most part, however, this information is easy to find. Understanding How DApps Handle User Privacy Privacy has become increasingly difficult to take for granted on the internet, especially in light of the recent Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal and the Equifax data leak. However, the problem of centralized control over the vast amount of information that flows via the Internet extends far beyond the boundaries of social media and private companies. As the decentralized application ecosystem continues to grow bigger every year, it is important to understand the privacy-related intricacies of using a DApp. In this section, we look at user privacy implications, questions, and opportunities of DApps. A DApp is governed by a distributed authority, which means that all changes must be decided by the consensus or a majority of its users before they are implemented. Ideally, all records of a decentralized application’s operations are stored on a public and decentralized blockchain to avoid pitfalls of centralization. The distributed decision-making process is enabled by validators of the blockchain via one of the deployed algorithms that implement a consensus mechanism such as Proof-of-Work (PoW), or Proof-of-Stake (PoS). Centralization Of Data And User Privacy Crisis User privacy has become a hot topic of debate in the last couple of years as more and more data security breaches and user privacy scandals have surfaced. The huge tech behemoths that hold the largest amounts of user data are extremely centralized. As the Cambridge Analytica scandal unfolded in early 2018, gross negligence on the part of Facebook in handling its user data made regulators and the general public uneasy. The string of news stories about Facebook’s inability to secure user data has made arguments in favor of decentralization and data protection louder. In another recent example, more than 540 million records about , as claimed by the cybersecurity firm, UpGuard. This data was stored on Amazon’s cloud computing servers. Centralization is not just a problem for the storage of data but also for access to the Internet’s app ecosystem. Facebook users were exposed in April 2019 In May 2019, a group of iOS developers sued Apple for its monopoly on the App Store. Apple takes a 30 percent cut from all the app sales on the App Store. Decentralized applications, are different from conventional digital applications in that they are not run or controlled by a centralized entity. They run on a distributed computing system and the governance of a DApp is decentralized, as the decision-making process requires validation from a large number of users. But what does this mean for user privacy and security? A few of the most prominent questions in this regard are answered below. Is My Data Safe On A DApp? DApps are run on a blockchain and distributed computing systems, so the stored data is not vulnerable to one single point of failure compared to the centralized storage of big tech companies such as Facebook. The data security on a blockchain is ensured by cryptographic verification methods such as the (ZKP) method. Zero Knowledge Proof ZKP is a cryptographic verification method, which enables secure and private transactions. In a method like ZKP, a prover can prove to a verifier that they know a particular bit of information without having to disclose any sensitive data. This means DApps run on an architecture that embeds the privacy of the user by default. I Want To Be Anonymous. What Details Are Shared With Third Parties? DApps respect user privacy and virtually no user data is shared with third parties that can link a user with his/her sensitive financial transaction details. Most apps never share any identifiable user data as privacy and data safety is a serious consideration for many cryptocurrency enthusiasts and potential users. Increased user privacy is one of the key drivers of the rising adoption of blockchain. Since DApps use a blockchain, which decentralizes the data storage and processing using distributed computing systems, user data is not shared and exposed to third parties. Except for a few fringe cases, your anonymity will be preserved as your wallet and transactions are not directly linked to your personally identifiable information. Why Do I Need To Do KYC On DApps? DApps, despite being decentralized, still have to comply with the legal requirements of the country they are based in. KYC, or Know Your Customer, gives DApps a way to be legally compliant and cross-regulatory hurdles before bringing the benefits of the blockchain revolution to their users. DApps understand user KYC by using a digital identity proof, which is majorly issued, in the form of a digital certificate. A digital certificate is issued by an authorized agency, which uses encryption to issue private keys to the user. The issuing agency generates one public key while issuing the certificate. This public key is used to decrypt the certificate, which also holds the private key information of the user to whom the certificate has been issued. KYC data used by DApps are not linked with the user’s identity information and hence does not expose the user privacy. Understanding How DApps Safeguard User Capital While the first practical implementation of a blockchain was developed by Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto, developers have found a myriad of non-financial applications for the technology. The Decentralized Application (DApp) paradigm is arguably the most promising among them, challenging many long-standing notions about the internet and the rest of the digital ecosystem. Given that the technology is still relatively nascent, the vast majority of the world’s population has still not had a chance to try it out. As DApps become increasingly common though, your first interaction should be easy and comfortable. In this section, we take a nuanced look at how DApps handle the safety and security of user capital, including crypto tokens, on the platform. Furthermore, we will explore how you can safeguard your digital assets and insulate yourself from unnecessary risks. Are My Tokens Safe On A DApp Platform? Many users, new to the DApp ecosystem understandably find themselves worried about the security and ownership of their token holdings. As with any cryptocurrency though, DApp owners have no claim over your tokens until you manually initiate a transaction to the platform’s wallet address. Furthermore, since digital currencies are inherently decentralized, transactions can be publicly viewed and audited on the blockchain by anyone at any time. After all, one of the primary advantages of technology is increased transparency. Digital cryptocurrency wallets allow you to be your own bank and are an irrevocable storage solution. If you would rather trust a third party for convenience, exchanges or online service providers provide a way to store your tokens as well. In general, however, using a local wallet is recommended, as it allows you to exercise a greater degree of control over your tokens and safeguard them appropriately. How Can I Trust A DApp To Not Scam Me And Other Users? While the vast majority of DApps in existence operate within legal bounds, the unfortunate reality is that a handful of them do not. As a user, some prior due diligence can go a long way in determining whether a project is trustworthy or not. Generally, this means reviewing each DApp’s fundamentals, starting with its white paper, development team, and the functionality of the platform. DApps that boast legitimate public associations with major companies also demonstrate increased commitment to the project. Applications designed to siphon user capital usually show a noticeable lacking in some or all of these aspects as they require significant human and monetary resources to fulfill. Legitimate DApps also tend to have a community following on popular social networks such as Reddit, Discord, and Telegram. Healthy discussion between users and developers is yet another positive indicator for decentralized applications. Do All DApp Tokens Experience Significant Price Volatility? Can Tokens Lose Value Overnight? While major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are known to be volatile, not all DApp-specific tokens follow this trend. Project owners are motivated to keep token prices stable and accessible to attract new users. Since DApps are built to fulfil a specific purpose, there is little speculative component to their token prices. The same cannot be said for mainstream cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, which see massive price jumps due to the market dynamics of supply and demand. As stated previously, the best way to safeguard your capital is to perform a basic background check on the DApps you’re interested in, especially ones that seem obscure. All in all, a DApp or blockchain-based project with strong fundamentals is more likely to maintain a steady valuation than one surrounded by controversy. Conclusion With that, we’ve covered most of the common doubts and concerns regarding the decentralized app ecosystem. As the blockchain-enabled DApp ecosystem grows further to bring the benefits of decentralization to more users, developers are constantly striving to provide a secure and friction-less platform for participating in it.

DApps 101: Decoding Legality, Privacy, and Token Security

TL;DRWith LeakLooker you can find publicly open MongoDB, CouchDB and Elasticsearch database, it also includes Kibana instances. Script parses results from Shodan, excluding empty and compromised databases. Everything is sorted and presented in clickable way. You can find script here https://github.com/woj-ciech/LeakLooker Introduction We have seen a lot of leaks from different sources — , , , and lot lot more. The most common mistake leading to leak is lack of basic security knowledge, untrained people and in some cases laziness. Due to small mistakes, whole company can be compromised and if we take GDPR into account, penalties can be devastating.Manually searching in Shodan is tedious because it shows everything which listens on specific port — empty and already hacked database. LeakLooker takes the results and shows only instances bigger than 217 MBs and accelerates your hunt. In some cases it was hard to exclude hacked databases, because when hacker left ransom note, data are still present, it applies to Elasticsearch and MongoDB. Among found information by script, there were a lot of personal identification information (PII), medical data, casinos transactions, credit card owners data, GPS tracking information, archived data of accounts of specific groups in social media, API tokens, sensitive logs and documents and lot more. To make it more interesting, you can specify page from which results will be displayed, makes it easier to find things that no one was looking for before. Additionally, origin country and names of databases (MongoDB, CouchDB) or indices (Elasticsearch) are showed. Amazon buckets Firebase Gitlab Rsync protocol CouchDB is document-oriented NoSQL database, using JSON and JavaScript as a query language. To be honest, I haven’t heard about any serious leak from CouchDB however it contains fragile data like every other type of database. Usually it uses port 5984. Additionally, for clarity you can review CouchDB via administration interface called Fauxton. Script gives you direct link to ‘_utils’ path where Fauxton is located. It happens sometimes that is password protected but it’s still possible to access data directly querying db and use commands like ‘ ’ and ’. Following this, documents and attachments can be retrieved and then downloaded. I’m not even saying about possibility to tamper data, because in most cases it allows you to write and delete whole database. CouchDB _all_dbs ‘_all_docs Example results of CouchDB Useful commands: /_all_dbs<db>/_all_docs?include_docs=true&limit=50/<db>/doc?rev=<nr><db>/doc <db>/doc/<name> /<db>/<docid>/<db>/<id>/<attachment_id> Shodan query: product: CouchDB MongoDB is another cloud NoSQL database which uses JSON structure. A lot was said about leaks from MongoDB and I found a lot of compromised DBs in the wild. Response from open MongoDB contains all collections in database and diagnostic or debugging information. Script focuses only on size, databases and collections. This is the only case when web interface is not accessible except of administration website which listens on port 28017, thousand higher than standard MongoDB port (27017). Connection to the database is made by command mongo — host <host> — port 27017 and next command ‘show databases’ is used for showing all databases. MongoDB Example results of MongoDB Useful commands: show databasesuse ‘db’show collectionsdb.’collection’.stats()db.’collection’.findOne()db.’collection’.find().prettyPrint()db.’collection’.find() Shodan query: product: MongoDB Kibana lets you visualize data from Elasticsearch, in most cases it’s used for monitoring devices and presenting it as a graphs or charts. However Kibana is also known for revealing sensitive data, one of the most infamous cases was mobile spyware company. It cannot be determined if instance is open or not, like it is in other databases, so I had to use special query to retrieve only these instances that can be accessed without authentication. I found out that there is a difference in response when login is required and when it’s not. To be precise, header Content-Length has value around 68407 bytes when Kibana returns login panel and exactly 217 bytes when it is publicly open and returns dashboard. Armored with this knowledge, Shodan query looks following: ‘kibana content-length: 217’ and since it has no filter, it does not use your Shodan credit. It is exact query so you will have 100 results per page. As mentioned earlier, it’s clickable and link leads you directly to discover panel where you can explore contained data. Kibana Example results of Kibana Shodan query: kibana content-length: 217 Elasticsearch Another cloud database known for infamous leaks is . Actually, according Wikipedia it is search-engine, which can be deployed in the cloud and provides you web interface on port 9200. What is interesting here, Elasticsearch has no authentication at all and owner should care about not exposing his instance without proper login mechanism. That’s why it happens so often that it’s easy target for cybercriminals. Each Elasticsearch cluster has an indices or indexes, it may be compared to the database in typical MySQL. Official documentation explains it in following way: Elasticsearch MySQL => Databases => Tables => Columns/RowsElasticsearch => Indices => Types => Documents with Properties Script shows links to ‘ ’, which next presents all indices in database including theirs size. You can access each index with command ‘ ’ _cat/indices?v <indice>/_search?size=50 Example results of Elasticsearch Useful commands: _cat/nodes?v_cat/count?v<indices>/_search?size=50 Shodan query: product:elastic port:9200 Conclusion Script has been made as a proof of concept to share awareness how companies and institutes handle your data. I’m sure that Chinese, American or Russian hackers have something more sophisticated to scan the Internet and look for free information, which then can be used for espionage. Cybercriminals also takes advantage of insecure database to force ransom from companies. Moreover, researcher companies like UpGuard also takes advantage of different open databases, so why independent cyber-researchers cannot check what is going on in intelligence gathering world? And remember, act responsible and if you see something, report it.

LeakLooker: Find Open Databases in Seconds

In 2017, cyber-attacks invaded the privacy of millions, grabbing headlines as established firms struggled to keep the noise down. Interestingly, these breaches had a common theme — they were reported weeks after their initial discovery. Here are three of the many security breaches of 2017 that impacted millions due to reasons including low security, weak passwords or avoidable negligence. Equifax The breach of the Atlanta-based credit reporting agency, Equifax is one of the worst data breaches recorded in the history of cybercrimes. The heist involved highly sensitive information of consumer data that included personal details of 143 million customers, their social security numbers, credit card accounts and US drivers’ licenses. 11 million Many aggrieved customers are facing the of the breach that include “multiple fraudulent charges” on credit cards and “unauthorized mortgage loans” on associated accounts. Additionally, driver licenses information is paving the way for impersonators to impact websites and services that accept driver’s license as a requirement. repercussions But it is Equifax’s negligence and delays in addressing the issue that deteriorated matters further for the firm. The hackers had retrieved the data between May and July 2017 but it took the company six weeks to report the breach. After uncovering the breach, Equifax’s attempt to address concerns through a data breach tool was also a failure and its support site resembled just another phishing site. The site directed the consumers to sign up for Equifax’s credit monitoring product TrustID. Considered to be the “ ”, the agency was eventually forced to retract clause on the site that prevented the affected customers from suing the company. mother of all hacks Yahoo — Verizon Reported in August 2016, Yahoo’s hack originally traces back to 2014. Initially, the breach impacted at least 500 million user accounts. But over a period of time, Yahoo’s breach took complicated turns, with deeper revelations. By the end of 2016, the company opened up on another hack which impacted one billion users. After four months of Yahoo-Verizon merger in mid-June, Yahoo’s bidding firm Verizon made a startling announcement. In a recent update in October 2017, it was revealed that each and every Yahoo account was impacted and this was close to . 3 billion The disclosure made Yahoo a home to the largest data breach in history, raising serious concerns on the stolen data. In its statement, Verizon , “The company recently obtained new intelligence and now believes, following an investigation with the assistance of outside forensic experts, that all Yahoo user accounts were affected by the August 2013 theft.” said But on July 13, 2017, Verizon too found itself amidst a hack that impacted 14 million subscribers. The consumers who had called customer services in the past six months of the July hack were exposed to the data breach. reported that the data of Verizon customers were available for download after an employee at an Israel-based firm, Nice Systems left them on an unsecured Amazon S3 storage server. The security lapse was discovered by the Director of cyber risk research at security firm UPGuard, Chris Vickery in June of 2017. ZDNet Such breach exposed records of customers’ information which included their names, cell phone number and account PIN. Uber When talking about breaches, Uber’s wait-watch-disclose policy provides a learning lesson for many startup hypes on why a business model needs to be an ethical one. On November 21, 2017, Uber announced that personal data of as many 50 million riders and 7 million Uber drivers in the US was stolen in a breach that dated back to October 2016. The stolen information (as reported by ) can allow hackers to find their homes and even their travel history. CNBC The company had not revealed any information about the hacker or how it paid him the money. To worsen matters, Uber paid the hacker to delete the data. According to , Uber’s newly appointed CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that the disclosure to regulators should have been made at the time it was discovered. $100,000 Reuters After the disclosure of the security breach by Uber, two of the company’s top security officials were dismissed. The breach raised some serious concerns about the ethical and privacy policy of the ride-hailing app. Why are data breaches getting common? Poor cybersecurity practices can give way to cybercrimes. For established firms like Deloitte that pride themselves on Cyber Intelligence Centre, data breaches can be embarrassing. In March 2017, accounting giant Deloitte fell victim to a cyber-attack. reported that “a host of clients had material that was made vulnerable by the hack” which included The US departments of state, energy, homeland security and defense, the US Postal Service, the housing giants that fund and guarantee mortgages in the US, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) by Verizon showed that 70% of the breaches are financially motivated and 80% of the hacking-related breaches were either due to stolen passwords and/or weak passwords. The Guardian recent Any security breach stems from lapses in the privacy practices of the firm. At the time of the hack, Deloitte did not have multi-factor authentication, which allowed outside hackers to get into the system through the administrator’s account. Outdated Security Technology Outside hacking can be malicious and the cost of such attacks is costlier when compared to data breaches through system glitches and human errors. Extraction of personal data by hackers should be addressed immediately without delay before it spreads across the entire customer base and hackers cover their tracks. As cyber-attacks become common, it is important for CEOs of firms address the issue of cybersecurity diligently and create a protected work environment. In an interview with , McAfee CEO Chris Young said CEOs must enforce a “culture of security”. CNBC An report shows that “faster the breach can be identified and contained, the lower the costs”. But real-time detection remains distant for many companies but a grave concern is when reports of data breaches are kept under wraps for a long time. Delay in Report and Response IBM Reporting data breach years after it has been committed only worsens the situation for both the consumers and the firm’s goodwill. Late disclosures erode the trust in organizations. Uber and Yahoo are examples of how companies should not delay the disclosure. More than anything immediate efforts should be made to fix the issue since delaying it only aggravates the existing issue. Some of the biggest breaches like that of Yahoo took years to be revealed. Yahoo in its two consecutive hacks reported in 2016 revealed that they actually dated back to as early as 2013 and 2014. Yahoo’s recent update in 2017 worsened the issue when it was revealed that the breach actually impacted 3 billion accounts instead of 1 billion reported in 2016. According to latest findings by digital security provider , in the first half of 2017, almost 2 billion data records around the world were either lost or stolen through cyber-attacks. A cyber-attack is a serious crime and its impact can be devastating to the security of people of any country. In the coming times, protecting sensitive information from hacks is highly crucial and in the light of growing cyber-attacks, people should keep a close eye on fraudulent activities like bank account activities, revelations of credit card information and phishing scams. Gemalto Originally Published on Digital Disruption

Lessons from 3 Big Data Breaches of 2017

Reports that the 2016 US Presidential election was tampered with electronically by foreign political agents have served to put Western democratic nations on edge, with British Prime Minister Theresa May recently accusing Russia of meddling in their own elections. “We know what you are doing and you will not succeed,” she stated in an address to the Lords Mayor’s Banquet. However, it’s not just nation states attacking and spying on one another; cyber criminals are attacking businesses and individuals now at a rate unheard of before. What’s worse is that businesses don’t seem the least bit alarmed. According to the , a full 87 percent of businesses in the US and UK are “confident in their cybersecurity preparedness,” while concurrently finding that 71 percent of businesses surveyed had “at least one breach in the previous year”. SolarWinds MSP Security Survey’s findings This obvious disconnect between wishful thinking and reality isn’t shared by private US citizens. A shows that out of all crimes, Americans are worried about cybercrime. The results show that: separate poll by Gallup most of Americans worry about hackers stealing their personal information 67 percent worry about identity theft 66 percent Americans most frequently report being victims of cybercrime of Americans worry about having their car stolen or broken into, the third highest worry behind identity theft. 38 percent If high-alert government agencies, negligent businesses, and frightened citizens aren’t enough, the cybersecurity skills shortage means that things likely won’t get better. A Lack of Cyber Security Professionals Jon Oltsik, , believes that the cybersecurity skills shortage doesn’t just mean things won’t get better — he believes that it represents an existential threat to both private and national security. Out of 343 cybersecurity professionals surveyed by Oltsik’s company, 70 percent reported being affected by the cybersecurity skills shortage. When asked what that meant to their organizations, this is how they responded: writing for CSO Online said the cybersecurity skills shortage has led to increasing workload on the existing staff. 63 percent said they’ve had to hire and train junior employees rather than hire people with the appropriate level of skills needed. 41 percent said the cybersecurity staff is forced to spend a disproportionate amount of time on high-priority issues and incident response with limited time spent on planning, strategy, or training. 41 percent said the cybersecurity staff has limited time to work with business units to align cybersecurity with business processes. 39 percent said the cybersecurity skills shortage has led to a situation where cybersecurity professionals are unable to learn and/or fully utilize their security technologies to their full potential. 39 percent “To summarize, the cybersecurity skills shortage is having an impact on people (i.e. overwhelming workload, limited time for training, etc.), processes (limited proactive planning, limited time to work with business units, etc.) and (limited time to customize or tune security controls, etc.),” writes Oltsik. “In aggregate, all of us are being protected by an understaffed and underskilled workforce, and the data suggests things are only getting worse.“ technology Is Cyber Security Dead? All of this information put together indicates that cybersecurity is in a bad place. In fact, Mike Baukes, co-founder and co-CEO of cyber resilience platform UpGuard, made this controversial statement: writing for Forbes “The data is in: Cybersecurity is dead. Even as global cybersecurity spending is expected to balloon to over $100 billion by 2020, the frequency and severity of cyberattacks continue to grow, with seemingly no end in sight. While exploits and hacking tools become even more widely available and simple to deploy, there has been little commensurate progress in beating back attackers, who continue to find success striking at persistent, common weak points. How is this possible?” Baukes explains that the concept of anti-virus that many have in their head, such as Symantec software that you leave running and is supposed to protect you, is simply too easy to overcome. Not only that, but many businesses are unaware that their own practices are actually what is putting them at risk. Cloud company XMedius published a post titled “ ,” listing the number one risk as employees who don’t know how to protect data. 3 Major Data Security Risks Every Business Should Know About “It’s safe to assume that unless we work for a company specializing in IT security, the average worker goes about their day handling and sending sensitive data without thinking about hackers or data loss,” they write. “It’s actually the lack of security awareness and skills that makes organizations an easier target for hackers or disgruntled employees who have access to networks and admin accounts.” Add to all of this the fact that many businesses are using legacy systems and outdated, often unpatchable software, and we get a clearer picture of why cybersecurity as a whole seems to be in dire straights. Fortunately there are solutions on the horizon — but let’s hope they aren’t deployed too late for it to matter. The Blockchain and AI to the Rescue As cryptocurrencies have become a more pertinent topic of conversation in the mainstream, the technology that they’re built upon has become more pertinent as well. Anabel Cooper, , believes that blockchain technology’s ability to encrypt all actions performed with a file or object will bring data security to new heights, starting with private messengers and payments across social platforms. Not only will the contents of the messages be secured by blockchain technologies, but the metadata associated will also be encrypted and void the need for user authentication information. Cooper also believes that the blockchain will provide effective means of deflecting cyber attacks on major websites with centralized servers. blockchain writing for InfoSecurity Magazine “The problem is that current DNS servers lack in security because they keep the access key on a single server and rely too much on caching,” writes Cooper. “Startups like Guardian and Nebulis, are determined to change that with using the distributed network of keys and keywords on the basis of the blockchain. Ultimately, blockchain will protect servers from hacker attacks and make them virtually unbreachable.” While the blockchain could definitely help shore up defenses, the cybersecurity industry is also benefitting from new paradigms and philosophies. Artificial intelligence has made it possible to shift from the “fortress mentality” that focuses all resources on keeping intruders out, and instead focus on new approaches that detect intruders as soon as they’re in, and contain the damage before it gets out of hand. “They’re shifting from military metaphors to the language of biology,” . “They’re designing immune systems rather than barricades.” writes Scott Rosenberg Wired’s He explains that machine learning applications such as Darktrace, founded by Cambridge University mathematicians and ex-British spies, are now able to catalog never-seen-before anomalies as they happen. This is because Darktrace learns what “normal” looks like in a system, and then investigates and reports any deviation from that norm. Rosenberg interviewed Darktrace CEO Nicole Eagan for his article, and she extrapolates: Wired “The big challenge that the whole security industry and the chief security officers have right now is that they’re always chasing yesterday’s attack, That is kind of the mindset the whole industry has — that if you analyze yesterday’s attack on someone else, you can help predict and prevent tomorrow’s attack on you. It’s flawed, because the attackers keep changing the attack vector. Yet companies have spent so much money on tools predicated on that false premise. Our approach is fundamentally different: This is just learning in real time what’s going on, and using AI to recommend actions to take, even if the attack’s never been seen before. That’s the big transition that Darktrace is trying to get folks… to make: to be in the position of planning forward strategically about cyber risk, not reacting to the past.” Stuck in Limbo Until We Adapt Unfortunately, cybersecurity is stuck in a sort of inbetween right now. While blockchain tech is on the rise, Darktrace and other AI applications that follow its “Enterprise Immune System” (EIS) model are emerging, they’re a far cry from being considered “mainstream” solutions yet. They are a light at the end of the tunnel, a distant star on the horizon, and they represent hope. Interestingly, however, they also highlight that it’s not just technology that needs to change — it’s also us. Our attitude toward cyber security, prevention, and response desperately needs updating. The old M.O. of keeping the fortress walls high and the attackers out simply won’t cut it anymore, because no matter how high you build the wall, all it takes is a malicious actor that decides to built a taller ladder. This is a simple fact, and one of the main reasons that businesses should be wary of their confidence in their systems. As AI applications and EIS prove effective, fewer military fortress analogies will be used, and more businesses will begin liken cybersecurity to responsive immune systems. Until then, the rest of us will be left twiddling our thumbs, still wondering: is anything secure anymore?

Is Anything Secure Anymore?

After a long interval, I am again impelled by the restless spirit within me to continue my narration

On War by Carl Von Clausewitz, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . Attack on Morasses, Inundations, Woods Book VII: Chapter XIV. Attack on Morasses, Inundations, Woods Morasses, that is, impassable swamps, which are only traversed by a few embankments, present peculiar difficulties to the tactical attack, as we have stated in treating of the defence. Their breadth hardly ever admits of the enemy being driven from the opposite bank by artillery, and of the construction of a roadway across. The strategic consequence is that endeavours are made to avoid attacking them by passing round them. Where the state of culture, as in many low countries, is so great that the means of passing are innumerable, the resistance of the defender is still strong enough relatively, but it is proportionably weakened for an absolute decision, and, therefore, wholly unsuitable for it. On the other hand, if the low land (as in Holland) is aided by inundations, the resistance may become absolute, and defy every attack. This was shown in Holland in the year 1672, when, after the conquest and occupation of all the fortresses outside the margin of the inundation, 50,000 French troops became available, who,—first under Condé and then under Luxemburg,—were unable to force the line of inundation, although it was only defended by about 20,000 men. The campaign of the Prussians, in 1787, under the Duke of Brunswick, against the Dutch, ended, it is true, in a quite contrary way, as these lines were then carried by a force very little superior to the defenders, and with trifling loss; but the reason of that is to be found in the dissensions amongst the defenders from political animosities, and a want of unity in the command, and yet nothing is more certain than that the success of the campaign, that is, the advance through the last line of inundation up to the walls of Amsterdam depended on a point of such extreme nicety that it is impossible to draw any general deduction from this case. The point alluded to was the leaving unguarded the Sea of Haarlem. By means of this, the Duke turned the inundation line, and got in rear of the post of Amselvoen. If the Dutch had had a couple of armed vessels on this lake the duke would never have got to Amsterdam, for he was “au bout de son latin.” What influence that might have had on the conclusion of peace does not concern us here, but it is certain that any further question of carrying the last line of inundation would have been put an end to completely. The winter is, no doubt, the natural enemy of this means of defence, as the French have shown in 1794 and 1795, but it must be a severe winter. Woods, which are scarcely passable, we have also included amongst the means which afford the defence powerful assistance. If they are of no great depth then the assailant may force his way through by several roads running near one another, and thus reach better ground, for no one point can have any great tactical strength, as we can never suppose a wood as absolutely impassable as a river or a morass.—But when, as in Russia and Poland, a very large tract of country is nearly everywhere covered with wood, and the assailant has not the power of getting beyond it, then, certainly, his situation becomes very embarrassing. We have only to think of the difficulties he must contend with to subsist his army, and how little he can do in the depths of the forest to make his ubiquitous adversary feel his superiority in numbers. Certainly this is one of the worst situations in which the offensive can be placed. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Carl von Clausewitz (2006). On War. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1946/pg1946-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

Attack on Morasses, Inundations, Woods

I have lingered thus long on the extreme bank

I found that an order had already gone forth for the army to proceed immediately towards Constantino

THE ELDER SON.

MAKING FRIENDSHIP.

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Chapter XI here Chapter XI Gideon Spilett took the box and opened it. It contained nearly two hundred grains of a white powder, a few particles of which he carried to his lips. The extreme bitterness of the substance precluded all doubt; it was certainly the precious extract of quinine, that pre-eminent antifebrile. This powder must be administered to Herbert without delay. How it came there might be discussed later. “Some coffee!” said Spilett. In a few moments Neb brought a cup of the warm infusion. Gideon Spilett threw into it about eighteen grains of quinine, and they succeeded in making Herbert drink the mixture. There was still time, for the third attack of the malignant fever had not yet shown itself. How they longed to be able to add that it would not return! Besides, it must be remarked, the hopes of all had now revived. The mysterious influence had been again exerted, and in a critical moment, when they had despaired of it. In a few hours Herbert was much calmer. The colonists could now discuss this incident. The intervention of the stranger was more evident than ever. But how had he been able to penetrate during the night into Granite House? It was inexplicable, and, in truth, the proceedings of the genius of the island were not less mysterious than was that genius himself. During this day the sulphate of quinine was administered to Herbert every three hours. The next day some improvement in Herbert’s condition was apparent. Certainly, he was not out of danger, intermittent fevers being subject to frequent and dangerous relapses, but the most assiduous care was bestowed on him. And besides, the specific was at hand; nor, doubtless, was he who had brought it far distant! And the hearts of all were animated by returning hope. This hope was not disappointed. Ten days after, on the 20th of December, Herbert’s convalescence commenced. He was still weak, and strict diet had been imposed upon him, but no access of fever supervened. And then, the poor boy submitted with such docility to all the prescriptions ordered him! He longed so to get well! Pencroft was as a man who has been drawn up from the bottom of an abyss. Fits of joy approaching delirium seized him. When the time for the third attack had passed by, he nearly suffocated the reporter in his embrace. Since then, he always called him Dr. Spilett. The real doctor, however, remained undiscovered. “We will find him!” repeated the sailor. Certainly, this man, whoever he was, might expect a somewhat too energetic embrace from the worthy Pencroft! The month of December ended, and with it the year 1867, during which the colonists of Lincoln Island had of late been so severely tried. They commenced the year 1868 with magnificent weather, great heat, and a tropical temperature, delightfully cooled by the sea-breeze. Herbert’s recovery progressed, and from his bed, placed near one of the windows of Granite House, he could inhale the fresh air, charged with ozone, which could not fail to restore his health. His appetite returned, and what numberless delicate, savory little dishes Neb prepared for him! “It is enough to make one wish to have a fever oneself!” said Pencroft. During all this time, the convicts did not once appear in the vicinity of Granite House. There was no news of Ayrton, and though the engineer and Herbert still had some hopes of finding him again, their companions did not doubt but that the unfortunate man had perished. However, this uncertainty could not last, and when once the lad should have recovered, the expedition, the result of which must be so important, would be undertaken. But they would have to wait a month, perhaps, for all the strength of the colony must be put into requisition to obtain satisfaction from the convicts. However, Herbert’s convalescence progressed rapidly. The congestion of the liver had disappeared, and his wounds might be considered completely healed. During the month of January, important work was done on the plateau of Prospect Heights; but it consisted solely in saving as much as was possible from the devastated crops, either of corn or vegetables. The grain and the plants were gathered, so as to provide a new harvest for the approaching half-season. With regard to rebuilding the poultry-yard, wall, or stables, Cyrus Harding preferred to wait. While he and his companions were in pursuit of the convicts, the latter might very probably pay another visit to the plateau, and it would be useless to give them an opportunity of recommencing their work of destruction. When the island should be cleared of these miscreants, they would set about rebuilding. The young convalescent began to get up in the second week of January, at first for one hour a day, then two, then three. His strength visibly returned, so vigorous was his constitution. He was now eighteen years of age. He was tall, and promised to become a man of noble and commanding presence. From this time his recovery, while still requiring care,—and Dr. Spilett was very strict,—made rapid progress. Towards the end of the month, Herbert was already walking about on Prospect Heights, and the beach. He derived, from several sea-baths, which he took in company with Pencroft and Neb, the greatest possible benefit. Cyrus Harding thought he might now settle the day for their departure, for which the 15th of February was fixed. The nights, very clear at this time of year, would be favorable to the researches they intended to make all over the island. The necessary preparations for this exploration were now commenced, and were important, for the colonists had sworn not to return to Granite House until their twofold object had been achieved; on the one hand, to exterminate the convicts, and rescue Ayrton, if he was still living; on the other, to discover who it was that presided so effectually over the fortunes of the colony. Of Lincoln Island, the settlers knew thoroughly all the eastern coast from Claw Cape to the Mandible Capes, the extensive Tadorn Marsh, the neighborhood of Lake Grant, Jacamar Wood, between the road to the corral and the Mercy, the courses of the Mercy and Red Creek, and lastly, the spurs of Mount Franklin, among which the corral had been established. They had explored, though only in an imperfect manner, the vast shore of Washington Bay from Claw Cape to Reptile End, the woody and marshy border of the west coast, and the interminable downs, ending at the open mouth of Shark Gulf. But they had in no way surveyed the woods which covered the Serpentine Peninsula, all to the right of the Mercy, the left bank of Falls River, and the wilderness of spurs and valleys which supported three quarters of the base of Mount Franklin, to the east, the north, and the west, and where doubtless many secret retreats existed. Consequently, many millions of acres of the island had still escaped their investigations. It was, therefore, decided that the expedition should be carried through the Far West, so as to include all that region situated on the right of the Mercy. It might, perhaps, be better worth while to go direct to the corral, where it might be supposed that the convicts had again taken refuge, either to pillage or to establish themselves there. But either the devastation of the corral would have been an accomplished fact by this time, and it would be too late to prevent it, or it had been the convicts’ interest to entrench themselves there, and there would be still time to go and turn them out on their return. Therefore, after some discussion, the first plan was adhered to, and the settlers resolved to proceed through the wood to Reptile End. They would make their way with their hatchets, and thus lay the first draft of a road which would place Granite House in communication with the end of the peninsula for a length of from sixteen to seventeen miles. The cart was in good condition. The onagers, well rested, could go a long journey. Provisions, camp effects, a portable stove, and various utensils were packed in the cart, as also weapons and ammunition, carefully chosen from the now complete arsenal of Granite House. But it was necessary to remember that the convicts were, perhaps, roaming about the woods, and that in the midst of these thick forests a shot might quickly be fired and received. It was therefore resolved that the little band of settlers should remain together and not separate under any pretext whatever. It was also decided that no one should remain at Granite House. Top and Jup themselves were to accompany the expedition; the inaccessible dwelling needed no guard. The 14th of February, eve of the departure, was consecrated entirely to repose, and—thanksgiving addressed by the colonists to the Creator. A place in the cart was reserved for Herbert, who, though thoroughly convalescent, was still a little weak. The next morning, at daybreak, Cyrus Harding took the necessary measures to protect Granite House from any invasion. The ladders, which were formerly used for the ascent, were brought to the Chimneys and buried deep in the sand, so that they might be available on the return of the colonists, for the machinery of the lift had been taken to pieces, and nothing of the apparatus remained. Pencroft stayed the last in Granite House in order to finish this work, and he then lowered himself down by means of a double rope held below, and which, when once hauled down, left no communication between the upper landing and the beach. The weather was magnificent. “We shall have a warm day of it,” said the reporter, laughing. “Pooh! Dr. Spilett,” answered Pencroft, “we shall walk under the shade of the trees and shan’t even see the sun!” “Forward!” said the engineer. The cart was waiting on the beach before the Chimneys. The reporter made Herbert take his place in it during the first hours at least of the journey, and the lad was obliged to submit to his doctor’s orders. Neb placed himself at the onagers’ heads. Cyrus Harding, the reporter, and the sailor, walked in front. Top bounded joyfully along. Herbert offered a seat in his vehicle to Jup, who accepted it without ceremony. The moment for departure had arrived, and the little band set out. The cart first turned the angle of the mouth of the Mercy, then, having ascended the left bank for a mile, crossed the bridge, at the other side of which commenced the road to Port Balloon, and there the explorers, leaving this road on their left, entered the cover of the immense woods which formed the region of the Far West. For the first two miles the widely scattered trees allowed the cart to pass with ease; from time to time it became necessary to cut away a few creepers and bushes, but no serious obstacle impeded the progress of the colonists. The thick foliage of the trees threw a grateful shade on the ground. Deodars, Douglas firs, casuarinas, banksias, gum-trees, dragon-trees, and other well-known species, succeeded each other far as the eye could reach. The feathered tribes of the island were all represented—grouse, jacamars, pheasants, lories, as well as the chattering cockatoos, parrots, and paroquets. Agouties, kangaroos, and capybaras fled swiftly at their approach; and all this reminded the settlers of the first excursions they had made on their arrival at the island. “Nevertheless,” observed Cyrus Harding, “I notice that these creatures, both birds and quadrupeds, are more timid than formerly. These woods have, therefore, been recently traversed by the convicts, and we shall certainly find some traces of them.” And, in fact, in several places they could distinguish traces, more or less recent, of the passage of a band of men—here branches broken off the trees, perhaps to mark out the way; there the ashes of a fire, and footprints in clayey spots; but nothing which appeared to belong to a settled encampment. The engineer had recommended his companions to refrain from hunting. The reports of the firearms might give the alarm to the convicts, who were, perhaps, roaming through the forest. Moreover, the hunters would necessarily ramble some distance from the cart, which it was dangerous to leave unguarded. In the afterpart of the day, when about six miles from Granite House, their progress became much more difficult. In order to make their way through some thickets, they were obliged to cut down trees. Before entering such places Harding was careful to send in Top and Jup, who faithfully accomplished their commission, and when the dog and orang returned without giving any warning, there was evidently nothing to fear, either from convicts or wild beasts, two varieties of the animal kingdom, whose ferocious instincts placed them on the same level. On the evening of the first day the colonists encamped about nine miles from Granite House, on the border of a little stream falling into the Mercy, and of the existence of which they had till then been ignorant; it evidently, however, belonged to the hydiographical system to which the soil owed its astonishing fertility. The settlers made a hearty meal, for their appetites were sharpened, and measures were then taken that the night might be passed in safety. If the engineer had had only to deal with wild beasts, jaguars or others, he would have simply lighted fires all around his camp, which would have sufficed for its defense; but the convicts would be rather attracted than terrified by the flames, and it was, therefore, better to be surrounded by the profound darkness of night. The watch was, however, carefully organized. Two of the settlers were to watch together, and every two hours it was agreed that they should be relieved by their comrades. And so, notwithstanding his wish to the contrary, Herbert was exempted from guard. Pencroft and Gideon Spilett in one party, the engineer and Neb in another, mounted guard in turns over the camp. The night, however, was but of few hours. The darkness was due rather to the thickness of the foliage than to the disappearance of the sun. The silence was scarcely disturbed by the howling of jaguars and the chattering of the monkeys, the latter appearing to particularly irritate Master Jup. The night passed without incident, and on the next day, the 15th of February, the journey through the forest, tedious rather than difficult, was continued. This day they could not accomplish more than six miles, for every moment they were obliged to cut a road with their hatchets. Like true settlers, the colonists spared the largest and most beautiful trees, which would besides have cost immense labor to fell, and the small ones only were sacrificed, but the result was that the road took a very winding direction, and lengthened itself by numerous detours. During the day Herbert discovered several new specimens not before met with in the island, such as the tree-fern, with its leaves spread out like the waters of a fountain, locust-trees, on the long pods of which the onagers browsed greedily, and which supplied a sweet pulp of excellent flavor. There, too, the colonists again found groups of magnificent kauries, their cylindrical trunks, crowded with a cone of verdure, rising to a height of two hundred feet. These were the tree-kings of New Zealand, as celebrated as the cedars of Lebanon. As to the fauna, there was no addition to those species already known to the hunters. Nevertheless, they saw, though unable to get near them, a couple of those large birds peculiar to Australia, a sort of cassowary, called emu, five feet in height, and with brown plumage, which belong to the tribe of waders. Top darted after them as fast as his four legs could carry him, but the emus distanced him with ease, so prodigious was their speed. As to the traces left by the convicts, a few more were discovered. Some footprints found near an apparently recently extinguished fire were attentively examined by the settlers. By measuring them one after the other, according to their length and breadth, the marks of five men’s feet were easily distinguished. The five convicts had evidently camped on this spot; but,—and this was the object of so minute an examination,—a sixth footprint could not be discovered, which in that case would have been that of Ayrton. “Ayrton was not with them!” said Herbert. “No,” answered Pencroft, “and if he was not with them, it was because the wretches had already murdered him! but then these rascals have not a den to which they may be tracked like tigers!” “No,” replied the reporter, “it is more probable that they wander at random, and it is their interest to rove about until the time when they will be masters of the island!” “The masters of the island!” exclaimed the sailor; “the masters of the island!...” he repeated, and his voice was choked, as if his throat was seized in an iron grasp. Then in a calmer tone, “Do you know, Captain Harding,” said he, “what the ball is which I have rammed into my gun?” “No, Pencroft!” “It is the ball that went through Herbert’s chest, and I promise you it won’t miss its mark!” But this just retaliation would not bring Ayrton back to life, and from the examination of the footprints left in the ground, they must, alas! conclude that all hopes of ever seeing him again must be abandoned. That evening they encamped fourteen miles from Granite House, and Cyrus Harding calculated that they could not be more than five miles from Reptile Point. And indeed, the next day the extremity of the peninsula was reached, and the whole length of the forest had been traversed; but there was nothing to indicate the retreat in which the convicts had taken refuge, nor that, no less secret, which sheltered the mysterious unknown. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Jules Verne (1998). The Mysterious Island. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1268/1268-h/1268-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

The extreme bitterness of the substance precluded all doubt

The intimacy between Frank and Miss Dunstable

Hey guys! In this article, I would like to share how we monetize hypercasual idle game mechanics using in-app purchases and subscriptions. With over a hundred various conducted, I’m not going to delve into details. Rather, I’ll describe our best solutions that you will probably work for your games, too. A/B tests Of course, every game is unique, and successful monetization stems from a deep understanding of the fun and the value for your players. I think you can add purchases to any hypercasual game and thereby increase your LTV. For example, many purchases in single-player games are intended to save time in obtaining new content. Or you can devise mechanisms that can help the players progress faster in the game. But are they ready to pay for this? You’ll know after you try it out :) One of my favourite books on game monetization is The concept of free-to-play games implies Games as a service. If you aim for the hybrid casual style, you need to adopt this paradigm and make your game a service that doles out fun in batches. Free-to-Play: Making Money From Games You Give Away. Background A year after the successful release (in April 2020) of , I decided to develop a sequel, . The main differences were a realistic visual style, instead of cartoon-like low-poly, and deeper metagaming. Originally, the game was called Car Crash Madness but then, during the development process, we changed the focus of the game to airplanes and renamed it. Crash Delivery Airplane Crash Madness For monetization, our main purpose was to increase in-app purchases revenue by up to 50% of the total app income. (I will provide the relative figures we achieved in the conclusion). There were several preconditions for this. Firstly, introduced a request for IDFA access and, with these new rules, destroyed part of the advertising market and reduced the advertising revenue for all. Secondly, hyper-competition in the hyper-casual games market. Creating a game with a high LTV seemed to be the panacea for cloning. We started developing in the spring of 2021, and the latest content update was in the spring of 2023. Apple Airplane Crash Madness Let’s analyze which monetization solutions proved to be the best ones during this period. Please note that this analysis is for iOS version only. Subscription Integrated in Metagaming If you ever played , you probably noticed the game’s monetization strategy. Each season, the developers offer their players multiple new characters and skins for weapons, music, etc. All these “facelifts” are available only during the season, so the players who want a new skin for their character need to buy a battle pass and earn the necessary stars. The stars can be earned with skills, but if you don’t have a battle pass, you can’t spend your stars and unlock great characters. A battle pass is a kind of subscription, but not for a month – for the entire season (i.e. three months). Please see a more detailed analysis of the monetization in . Fortnite Fortnite here After playing for a couple of seasons, I decided to try a similar approach in our Airplane Crash Madness. I was aware that, for a single-player game (rather than a multiplayer one), customization wouldn’t be so popular, with players not being able to boast to others about their new skin. What seemed more important to me in Epic Games’ approach was that players couldn’t spend their in-game currency without a battle pass, with the currency piling up over time, while the battle pass price stayed the same. With such an approach, the deeper a player in the game – the more pressure he feels. And we decided to try a similar approach in Airplane Crash Madness. Fortnite In our game, maps and vehicles are the main components, so we decided to classify all players into premium and regular ones. The former were players who bought a subscription. While maps were available to all, the subscription included such items as: Spending the premium currency on vehicles and their customization, Disabling ads, A daily bonus in the form of a large amount of premium in-game currency, An odd number of accessories (discs, antennae, etc.). We use a weekly subscription with a 3-day trial. The landing page design plays a significant role. In our case, 2D graphics worked better, although I thought that, if you have a 3D game, then a 3D design would be best for the subscription ad, too. Anyway, the landing page is where you test as many design concepts as you can during the whole cycle of product support. It’s also important where and when you demonstrate your subscription ad. Those who work with subscription-based products know about the rule. It means that a user first agrees to something or fills in some information on two landing pages and then is offered a subscription on the third one. It’s psychologically easier for a user to agree to the subscription on the third screen: he has already completed some forms and the probability of conversion rises because he wouldn’t want to consider his previous actions meaningless (such as in a case when a user doesn’t have a choice, as in “ ). Triple Yes subscribe or leave” We didn’t create such a chain of landing pages, which, I think, was a mistake. In , we sometimes show users a landing page in a format similar to interstitial ads (users can’t skip it immediately). Airplane Crash Madness Here is a list of all screens where we offer a subscription: The game's main menu. We sometimes demonstrate a landing page with the subscription information instead of an interstitial ad ( see the screenshot above). The store’s main page. When a user clicks a subscription banner, he sees the subscription landing page (see Item 1). In the garage. When a user chooses any vehicle (or an accessory to it) available only with a subscription. Having clicked the subscription button, the player sees the subscription landing page (see Item 1). Metagaming, additional subscription mechanisms, and gold sold in the game Any destruction of the environment wins points to a player: ruining a tree, demolishing a house, etc. So, throwing a vehicle wins the player points that convert to the player level. The higher the player level, the more content is available to him for purchase using gold, while, for vehicles, the players can have a limited number of them for free. A player earns gold for each new level, for completed quests, as a daily bonus if subscribed. In addition, a player can buy gold for the in-game currency. A player can spend the gold either on unlocking new vehicles, their customization, or on… purchasing a level for gold. It is a legal way to unlock any player level and any vehicle in the game. That’s how we get monetization from the richest players. A player needs to subscribe and pay for the new level and a premium vehicle. The screenshot demonstrates the button with the price next to the level. unlock If a player doesn’t have enough gold, the game will make an attractive offer to buy some. Why does a player need to go to the store if the store can come to him with a good offer? A popular solution to cut steps in the buying journey. If a player opts out of the subscription, he can’t spend gold anymore but retains the current player level, all unlocked vehicles, and customization. I think the players would have hated the game too much if we took away everything when they canceled the subscription. In our solution, a player can always reactivate the subscription later to spend the gold on new content. Direct sale of vehicles without a subscription PLANES PACK Not all players want to dig into metagaming. Many are not ready to subscribe in any way. But they still want to buy some vehicles. We offer them an opportunity to buy PLANES PACK for a fixed price. The pack includes two most popular plane models and one helicopter. For this, I decided to replace a standard banner ad at the bottom of the screen with our PLANES PACK ad, and I have been very pleased with the result. Our banner has a simple, eye-catching animation. Also, we use the garage main page as an ad placement to promote the pack. Direct sales through limited-time offers. We also introduced a system of 3 offers effective for 12 hours. 1) A plane bundle sold at a discount, 2) A sports cars bundle, 3) A bundle with a discount for upgrades. The sports cars bundle landing page. We tested backgrounds featuring a city, forest, and canyons. The canyons had the highest conversion. The three offers are shown one after the other continually and updated every 12 hours. A timer button appears in the main menu. After clicking it’s showing the landing page of the active bundle. Selling upgrades Since a vehicle's skin is not related to the vehicle’s speed performance, the players need to buy upgrades to boost the performance (engine, fuel, extra income). They can do this either using the in-game currency received for free for every throw or for actual money. 100 upgrades are the most profitable item. The 70% discount works wonders. Resulting income We were able to achieve the 60/40 ratio, where 40% is the income from in-app purchases (including subscriptions). For all purchases, the income can be divided into groups as follows: Subscription -  34 % Upgrades - 20 % Disable ads - 17.1 % Planes pack - 8.8 % Time limited Offer all = 16.8 % Only Upgardes - 7.41% Only Cars - 7.76% Only Planes - 1.6 % All gold packs -  3.2 % Several general recommendations for transitioning from hyper-casual games to hybrid casual ones: Use your traditional ad placements (interstitials and banners, and even rewarded ads) as a place to promote your in-game purchases. Focus mainly on the top sale items. Improve and test different designs on your banners and landing pages. Think of ways to add a subscription to your game. Thanks for your attention! I hope the article has been of use to you. See you next time! The lead image for this article was generated by HackerNoon's AI Image Generator via the prompt "Idle games".

From Hypercasual to Hybrid Casual: Analysis of Monetization Solutions for Idle Games

De hipercasual a casual híbrido: análisis de soluciones de monetización para juegos inactivos

De l'hypercasual au casual hybride : analyse des solutions de monétisation pour les jeux inactifs

हाइपरकैज़ुअल से हाइब्रिड कैज़ुअल तक: आइडल गेम्स के लिए मुद्रीकरण समाधान का विश्लेषण

ハイパーカジュアルからハイブリッドカジュアルへ: アイドルゲームの収益化ソリューションの分析

Do hipercasual ao casual híbrido: análise de soluções de monetização para jogos ociosos

Từ Hypercasual đến Hybrid Casual: Phân tích các giải pháp kiếm tiền cho trò chơi nhàn rỗi

从超休闲到混合休闲：放置类游戏变现方案分析

La Constantin by Alexandre Dumas, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . Chapter VI LA CONSTANTIN - CHAPTER VI We left de Jars and Jeannin, roaring with laughter, in the tavern in the rue Saint Andre-des-Arts. “What!” said the treasurer, “do you really think that Angelique thought I was in earnest in my offer?—that she believes in all good faith I intend to marry her?” “You may take my word for it. If it were not so, do you imagine she would have been in such desperation? Would she have fainted at my threat to tell you that I had claims on her as well as you? To get married! Why, that is the goal of all such creatures, and there is not one of them who can understand why a man of honour should blush to give her his name. If you had only seen her terror, her tears! They would have either broken your heart or killed you with laughter.” “Well,” said Jeannin, “it is getting late. Are we going to wait for the chevalier?” “Let us call, for him.” “Very well. Perhaps he has made up his mind to stay. If so, we shall make a horrible scene, cry treachery and perjury, and trounce your nephew well. Let’s settle our score and be off.” They left the wine-shop, both rather the worse for the wine they had so largely indulged in. They felt the need of the cool night air, so instead of going down the rue Pavee they resolved to follow the rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts as far as the Pont Saint-Michel, so as to reach the mansion by a longer route. At the very moment the commander got up to leave the tavern the chevalier had run out of the mansion at the top of his speed. It was not that he had entirely lost his courage, for had he found it impossible to avoid his assailant it is probable that he would have regained the audacity which had led him to draw his sword. But he was a novice in the use of arms, had not reached full physical development, and felt that the chances were so much against him that he would only have faced the encounter if there were no possible way of escape. On leaving the house he had turned quickly into the rue Git-le-Coeur; but on hearing the door close behind his pursuer he disappeared down the narrow and crooked rue de l’Hirondelle, hoping to throw the Duc de Vitry off the scent. The duke, however, though for a moment in doubt, was guided by the sound of the flying footsteps. The chevalier, still trying to send him off on a false trail, turned to the right, and so regained the upper end of the rue Saint-Andre, and ran along it as far as the church, the site of which is occupied by the square of the same name to-day. Here he thought he would be safe, for, as the church was being restored and enlarged, heaps of stone stood all round the old pile. He glided in among these, and twice heard Vitry searching quite close to him, and each time stood on guard expecting an onslaught. This marching and counter-marching lasted for some minutes; the chevalier began to hope he had escaped the danger, and eagerly waited for the moment when the moon which had broken through the clouds should again withdraw behind them, in order to steal into some of the adjacent streets under cover of the darkness. Suddenly a shadow rose before him and a threatening voice cried— “Have I caught you at last, you coward?” The danger in which the chevalier stood awoke in him a flickering energy, a feverish courage, and he crossed blades with his assailant. A strange combat ensued, of which the result was quite uncertain, depending entirely on chance; for no science was of any avail on a ground so rough that the combatants stumbled at every step, or struck against immovable masses, which were one moment clearly lit up, and the next in shadow. Steel clashed on steel, the feet of the adversaries touched each other, several times the cloak of one was pierced by the sword of the other, more than once the words “Die then!” rang out. But each time the seemingly vanquished combatant sprang up unwounded, as agile and as lithe and as quick as ever, while he in his turn pressed the enemy home. There was neither truce nor pause, no clever feints nor fencer’s tricks could be employed on either side; it was a mortal combat, but chance, not skill, would deal the death-blow. Sometimes a rapid pass encountered only empty air; sometimes blade crossed blade above the wielders’ heads; sometimes the fencers lunged at each other’s breast, and yet the blows glanced aside at the last moment and the blades met in air once more. At last, however, one of the two, making a pass to the right which left his breast unguarded, received a deep wound. Uttering a loud cry, he recoiled a step or two, but, exhausted by the effort, tripped and fell backward over a large stone, and lay there motionless, his arms extended in the form of a cross. The other turned and fled. “Hark, de Jars!” said Jeannin, stopping, “There’s fighting going on hereabouts; I hear the clash of swords.” Both listened intently. “I hear nothing now.” “Hush! there it goes again. It’s by the church.” “What a dreadful cry!” They ran at full speed towards the place whence it seemed to come, but found only solitude, darkness, and silence. They looked in every direction. “I can’t see a living soul,” said Jeannin, “and I very much fear that the poor devil who gave that yell has mumbled his last prayer.” “I don’t know why I tremble so,” replied de Jars; “that heart-rending cry made me shiver from head to foot. Was it not something like the chevalier’s voice?” “The chevalier is with La Guerchi, and even if he had left her this would not have been his way to rejoin us. Let us go on and leave the dead in peace.” “Look, Jeannin! what is that in front of us?” “On that stone? A man who has fallen!” “Yes, and bathed in blood,” exclaimed de Jars, who had darted to his side. “Ah! it’s he! it’s he! Look, his eyes are closed, his hands cold! My child he does not hear me! Oh, who has murdered him?” He fell on his knees, and threw himself on the body with every mark of the most violent despair. “Come, come,” said Jeannin, surprised at such an explosion of grief from a man accustomed to duels, and who on several similar occasions had been far from displaying much tenderness of heart, “collect yourself, and don’t give way like a woman. Perhaps the wound is not mortal. Let us try to stop the bleeding and call for help.” “No, no—” “Are you mad?” “Don’t call, for Heaven’s sake! The wound is here, near the heart. Your handkerchief, Jeannin, to arrest the flow of blood. There—now help me to lift him.” “What does that mean?” cried Jeannin, who had just laid his hand on the chevalier. “I don’t know whether I’m awake or asleep! Why, it’s a—-” “Be silent, on your life! I shall explain everything—but now be silent; there is someone looking at us.” There was indeed a man wrapped in a mantle standing motionless some steps away. “What are you doing here?” asked de Jars. “May I ask what you are doing, gentlemen?” retorted Maitre Quennebert, in a calm and steady voice. “Your curiosity may cost you dear, monsieur; we are not in the habit of allowing our actions to be spied on.” “And I am not in the habit of running useless risks, most noble cavaliers. You are, it is true, two against one; but,” he added, throwing back his cloak and grasping the hilts of a pair of pistols tucked in his belt, “these will make us equal. You are mistaken as to my intentions. I had no thought of playing the spy; it was chance alone that led me here; and you must acknowledge that finding you in this lonely spot, engaged as you are at this hour of the night, was quite enough to awake the curiosity of a man as little disposed to provoke a quarrel as to submit to threats.” “It was chance also that brought us here. We were crossing the square, my friend and I, when we heard groans. We followed the sound, and found this young gallant, who is a stranger to us, lying here, with a wound in his breast.” As the moon at that moment gleamed doubtfully forth, Maitre Quennebert bent for an instant over the body of the wounded man, and said: “I know him more than you. But supposing someone were to come upon us here, we might easily be taken for three assassins holding a consultation over the corpse of our victim. What were you going to do?” “Take him to a doctor. It would be inhuman to leave him here, and while we are talking precious time is being lost.” “Do you belong to this neighbourhood?” “No,” said the treasurer. “Neither do I,” said Quennebert. “but I believe I have heard the name of a surgeon who lives close by, in the rue Hauteville.” “I also know of one,” interposed de Jars, “a very skilful man.” “You may command me.” “Gladly, monsieur; for he lives some distance from here.” “I am at your service.” De Jars and Jeannin raised the chevalier’s shoulders, and the stranger supported his legs, and carrying their burden in this order, they set off. They walked slowly, looking about them carefully, a precaution rendered necessary by the fact that the moon now rode in a cloudless sky. They glided over the Pont Saint-Michel between the houses that lined both sides, and, turning to the right, entered one of the narrow streets of the Cite, and after many turnings, during which they met no one, they stopped at the door of a house situated behind the Hotel-de-Ville. “Many thanks, monsieur,” said de Jars,—“many thanks; we need no further help.” As the commander spoke, Maitre Quennebert let the feet of the chevalier fall abruptly on the pavement, while de Jars and the treasurer still supported his body, and, stepping back two paces, he drew his pistols from his belt, and placing a finger on each trigger, said— “Do not stir, messieurs, or you are dead men.” Both, although encumbered by their burden, laid their hands upon their swords. “Not a movement, not a sound, or I shoot.” There was no reply to this argument, it being a convincing one even for two duellists. The bravest man turns pale when he finds himself face to face with sudden inevitable death, and he who threatened seemed to be one who would, without hesitation, carry out his threats. There was nothing for it but obedience, or a ball through them as they stood. “What do you want with us, sir?” asked Jeannin. Quennebert, without changing his attitude, replied— “Commander de Jars, and you, Messire Jeannin de Castille, king’s treasurer,—you see, my gentles, that besides the advantage of arms which strike swiftly and surely, I have the further advantage of knowing who you are, whilst I am myself unknown,—you will carry the wounded man into this house, into which I will not enter, for I have nothing to do within; but I shall remain here; to await your return. After you have handed over the patient to the doctor, you will procure paper and write—-now pay great attention—that on November 20th, 1658, about midnight, you, aided by an unknown man, carried to this house, the address of which you will give, a young man whom you call the Chevalier de Moranges, and pass off as your nephew—” “As he really is.” “Very well.” “But who told you—?” “Let me go on: who had been wounded in a fight with swords on the same night behind the church of Saint-Andre-des-Arts by the Duc de Vitry.” “The Duc de Vitry!—How do you know that?” “No matter how, I know it for a fact. Having made this declaration, you will add that the said Chevalier de Moranges is no other than Josephine-Charlotte Boullenois, whom you, commander, abducted four months ago from the convent of La Raquette, whom you have made your mistress, and whom you conceal disguised as a man; then you will add your signature. Is my information correct?” De Jars and Jeannin were speechless with surprise for a few instants; then the former stammered— “Will you tell us who you are?” “The devil in person, if you like. Well, will you do as I order? Supposing that I am awkward enough not to kill you at two paces, do you want me to ask you in broad daylight and aloud what I now ask at night and in a whisper? And don’t think to put me off with a false declaration, relying on my not being able to read it by the light of the moon; don’t think either that you can take me by surprise when you hand it me: you will bring it to me with your swords sheathed as now. If this condition is not observed, I shall fire, and the noise will bring a crowd about us. To-morrow I shall speak differently from to-day: I shall proclaim the truth at all the street corners, in the squares, and under the windows of the Louvre. It is hard, I know, for men of spirit to yield to threats, but recollect that you are in my power and that there is no disgrace in paying a ransom for a life that one cannot defend. What do you say?” In spite of his natural courage, Jeannin, who found himself involved in an affair from which he had nothing to gain, and who was not at all desirous of being suspected of having helped in an abduction, whispered to the commander— “Faith! I think our wisest course is to consent.” De Jars, however, before replying, wished to try if he could by any chance throw his enemy off his guard for an instant, so as to take him unawares. His hand still rested on the hilt of his sword, motionless, but ready to draw. “There is someone coming over yonder,” he cried,—“do you hear?” “You can’t catch me in that way,” said Quennebert. “Even were there anyone coming, I should not look round, and if you move your hand all is over with you.” “Well,” said Jeannin, “I surrender at discretion—not on my own account, but out of regard for my friend and this woman. However, we are entitle to some pledge of your silence. This statement that you demand, once written,—you can ruin us tomorrow by its means.” “I don’t yet know what use I shall make of it, gentlemen. Make up your minds, or you will have nothing but a dead body to place—in the doctor’s hands. There is no escape for you.” For the first time the wounded man faintly groaned. “I must save her!” cried de Jars,—“I yield.” “And I swear upon my honour that I will never try to get this woman out of your hands, and that I will never interfere with your conquest. Knock, gentlemen, and remain as long as may be necessary. I am patient. Pray to God, if you will, that she may recover; my one desire is that she may die.” They entered the house, and Quennebert, wrapping himself once more in his mantle, walked up and down before it, stopping to listen from time to time. In about two hours the commander and the treasurer came out again, and handed him a written paper in the manner agreed on. “I greatly fear that it will be a certificate of death,” said de Jars. “Heaven grant it, commander! Adieu, messieurs.” He then withdrew, walking backwards, keeping the two friends covered with his pistols until he had placed a sufficient distance between himself and them to be out of danger of an attack. The two gentlemen on their part walked rapidly away, looking round from time to time, and keeping their ears open. They were very much mortified at having been forced to let a mere boor dictate to them, and anxious, especially de Jars, as to the result of the wound. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Alexandre Dumas (2004). La Constantin. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2749/pg2749-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html.

We left de Jars and Jeannin

Our Humble Helpers: Familiar Talks on the Domestic Animals by Jean-Henri Fabre, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . THE ESKIMO DOG CHAPTER XXIII. THE ESKIMO DOG “What I have just told you will make it plain enough that no domestic animal dependent on vegetable food can be kept in that country. Where could one find a supply of forage for the ox, horse, or even donkey, when the ground is covered with a thick layer of snow the greater part of the year, and when during the three or four months of summer all the verdure consists of meager greensward where a sheep would hardly find enough herbage to browse? Besides, these animals would succumb to the severity of the winter. There is but one species of this sort that can live in these desolate regions, and that is the reindeer, which is about as large as the stag, but more robust and more thick-set. Its horns, or antlers, are divided each into two branches, the shorter one pointing forward, the other, the longer, pointing backward, and both ending in enlargements that spread out somewhat like the palm and fingers of an open hand.” “According to your description,” observed Louis, “the reindeer must be a superb animal and must need plenty of food. Where does it find pasturage when everything is covered with snow?” “If it needed the forage to which our cattle are accustomed, no doubt it would starve to death the first winter; but it is content with a kind of food that none of our animals would touch. It is a lichen, white in color and divided into a multitude of branches, close together and presenting the appearance of a little bush a few inches high. It grows on the ground, which it entirely covers for immense stretches. During the winter the reindeer scratch the snow with their fore hoofs and uncover the coarse plant, softened by moisture; and this plant they browse. Thus it is that interminable fields of snow, the desolate abodes of famine, supply nevertheless sufficient pasturage for these animals. This lichen, last vegetable resource of the extreme north, is called reindeer moss, and is found everywhere, in the most arid lands, between the poles and the equator. Among the underbrush of our most barren hills you will find it in abundance, fresh and supple in winter, dried up and crackling under the feet in summer.” Reindeer “The reindeer ought to live in our country,” Jules remarked, “since there is lichen for it to feed on.” “The climate is much too warm for it. Hardly would it be able to endure the mildness of our winters; and how about the heat of our summers? It needs the snows and the harsh climate of the polar regions, away from which it rapidly dies out. “In Lapland the reindeer is a domestic animal. There it fills the place of our cattle and serves at one and the same time as cow, sheep, and horse. The Laplander lives on reindeer milk and its products, and on the animal’s flesh. He clothes himself with its warm fur, and makes a very soft leather out of its skin. When the ground is covered with snow, he harnesses the reindeer to his sled and travels as many as thirty leagues a day, his swift equipage with its broad runners gliding over the snow and hardly leaving a trace behind. “The reindeer is not rare in Greenland, but there it lives in the wild state, for the Eskimo, much less civilized than the Laplander, has not yet learned how to win it to his uses and accustom it to domestic life. It runs at large and merely furnishes the game on which the Greenlanders count to vary somewhat their diet of fish. For domestic animals, then, what is there left to the Eskimo, since the only species able to live in that land of snow huts, the reindeer, is, in that desolate region, a wild animal approached by the hunter only with ruse and caution? There remains the dog, the faithful companion which, thanks to its kind of food, can accompany man everywhere, even on his most daring expeditions toward one or other of the poles. Where the reindeer would have to pause, lichen failing or being covered with too thick a layer of snow, the dog continues to go forward, since for food it needs only a fishbone, and [ ]the neighboring sea furnishes fish in plenty. The dog is the Eskimo’s all, in the way of domestic animals.” 224 “That all is very little,” said Jules. “Very little, certainly; but still without the dog the Eskimo could not live in his gloomy country. With the help of the dog he chases the wild reindeer, the flesh of which gives him food, and the skin furnishing for his hut; on the ice he attacks the white bear, whose fur will become a warm winter cloak; he makes himself master of the seal which will give him its intestines for ropes and its oily fat for fuel to feed his ever-burning lamp. In fact, the dog is to him not only a hunting companion, but also a draft animal able to transport him at a good rate of speed whithersoever he wishes to go. “The Eskimo dog is about the size of our shepherd dog, but more robust in build. It has upstanding ears, tail coiled in a circle, hair thick and woolly, as it should be to resist the atrocious cold of the country it inhabits. No domestic species leads a harder life. At long intervals a meat-bone or a large fishbone for food, and nothing more; no shelter except the hole it may dig for itself in the snow; cuffs much oftener than caresses; after the fatigues of the chase the still more exhausting labor of drawing the sled—such is its life of hardship. Harsh treatment and constant hunger are not conducive to gentleness of disposition. So the Eskimo dogs are quarrelsome among themselves, surly toward man, always ready to show their teeth, and especially [ ]disposed to attack their victuals with voracity. Nowhere in the world are there more audacious pillagers: so extreme are the pangs of hunger that no punishment avails to prevent their snapping up any morsel unguardedly left within their reach.” 225 “Not the most docile sort of companion, I should say,” Jules remarked. “The women, who treat them more gently, feed them, and take care of them when they are little, can easily make them obey. Nearly always, even when these poor animals suffer most cruelly from hunger, the women succeed in getting them together to be harnessed to the sled.” “I should like, Uncle,” put in Emile, “before hearing the rest, to know just what an Eskimo sled is. I can’t imagine exactly what it is like.” “The sled, as its name indicates, is a kind of light vehicle without wheels, designed for dragging over the ice or snow where sliding is easy. The Eskimo sled is rudely built. Imagine two strips of wood curving upward at each end and placed side by side at a certain distance from each other. They are the chief pieces, which are to support all the rest and themselves glide on the snow. Between the two is constructed a framework of light transverse bars, and on this framework rises a sort of niche lined with furs, where the traveler squats. That is the Eskimo sled. “The two chief pieces, resembling long skates gliding over the hard snow, I said were of wood; but I hasten to add that generally they are made of [ ]other material, as wood is one of the rarest things in this country where there is not enough vegetation to furnish even a broomstick. All the wood in use is washed ashore by the sea, from far countries, at the time of heavy storms. So the Eskimo has not always at his disposal the two narrow strips necessary. He uses instead two long whalebones, chosen for their shape and curvature. If bones are lacking there remains one last resort. With the intestines of the seal or thongs of skin he ties large fish in two bundles, makes them of the desired shape, and exposes them to the frost, which hardens them like stone until summer comes again. Those are the two runners, the two chief pieces of the sled.” 226 “What a queer country, where the people use bundles of frozen fish for runners!” Emile could not but exclaim. “But the runner has not yet played out its part. After it has slidden all winter over the snowy plain, it thaws out with the return of warm weather and the fish composing it are popped into the bag of boiling water to cook.” “The people eat them?” “Why, certainly, my friend; they eat the framework of the demolished sled.” “Once more, I say, if ever those people invite me to dinner I shall decline. I shouldn’t relish their licking the food to clean it, nor should I care for fish that had been dragged about for months, nobody knows where.” “Now that you know about the sled, let us speak [ ]of the team. The dog’s harness is composed of two thongs of reindeer skin, one going round the neck, the other round the breast, and both connected by a third thong passing between the fore legs. To this harness, near the shoulders, are attached two long leather straps which are fastened to the sled at the other end. The dog team numbers from twelve to fifteen. One dog, the most intelligent and with the keenest scent, goes along at the head of the pack; the others follow, several abreast, the novices nearest to the sled. Seated in the niche of his vehicle, one leg out this way, one the other, feet almost skimming the snow, the Eskimo drives his equipage with an enormously long whip, for this whip must be able to reach the farthest dog, seven or eight meters from the sled. But he refrains as much as possible from using it, since a lash from the whip is more likely to promote disorder than to increase the speed. The dog struck, not knowing whence the blow came, lays the blame on its neighbor and bites it; the latter passes the compliment along to another, which in turn hastens to worry the next; and in a moment, spreading through the pack, the rough-and-tumble fight becomes general. Then it is a task indeed to restore peace and get the broken or tangled harness straightened out. 227 “Hence the whip is but rarely called into service to correct a too unruly dog, and it is chiefly with the voice that the driver guides his team. The leading dog is particularly attentive to the master’s word: he turns to the right, left, or goes straight ahead, [ ]increases or slackens speed, and the others govern themselves accordingly. Every time an order is given, the leader turns its head without stopping and looks at the master, as if to say, ‘I understand.’ If the route has been already traveled the driver has nothing to do: the leader follows the trail even when it is invisible to man. In black darkness, in the midst of violent snow-squalls, aided by its sense of smell and its astonishing sagacity, it continues to guide the rest of the team, and very seldom goes astray. 228 “In a single day 150 kilometers are thus made. If fatigue calls a halt, the Eskimo builds himself a shelter with snow piled up for walls and a large slab of ice for roof. Here he disposes himself as best he can for sleeping, after a frugal lunch of salt fish or flesh, thawed by the heat of a lamp. On awakening, a signal is given and immediately all about the hut little mounds of snow move and shake themselves. They are the dog-team, which has slept outside, covered by the falling snow. The Eskimo doles out to them a meager pittance, which is instantly swallowed, and without delay he harnesses the sled to resume his journey in quest of the white bear or the reindeer on which he has set his heart.” About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Jean-Henri Fabre (2022). Our Humble Helpers: Familiar Talks on the Domestic Animals. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/67073/pg67073-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

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