Apple issued an emergency software update when they found out that an Israeli NSO Group was using a “zero click” hack on Apple products. This NSO Group was mainly hacking the messaging software that Apple uses and gaining access to things like the camera, microphone, messages, and phone calls. The spyware used is called Pegasus and it doesn’t need for the user to click on anything to gain access to their phone.
More than 1.65 billion Apple products were subject to this security vulnerability. This spyware has been used multiple times in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico.
I thought this article was well written and very explanatory without being boring. Technology like this somewhat bores me but I was very interested because I own Apple products myself. The author was good about keeping the most important facts at the top of the article and putting more detailed information at the bottom. They had a really great lead, which obviously got me to read it.
Local business owner robbed at gunpoint last night.
Barney Joseph, owner of BJ’s Drug, was robbed at gunpoint by two men at around 8:30 p.m. No one was injured in the robbery but cash was stolen from the register. The robbery was over in less than a minute.
Joseph keeps a pistol under the counter but claims he did not want to use it.
His decision was based on prior experience. Joseph’s father was killed in a previous robbery at BJ’s Drug. “Yes, Dad resisted, I guess. Anyway, they found him shot to death, his own gun in his hand, and a bullet in the store’s ceiling. I’d rather part with my money than my life,” Joseph said.
Apple issued an emergency update on September 13th due to a “zero click” security attack.
In a statement by Apple, they said, “After identifying the vulnerability used by this exploit for iMessage, Apple rapidly developed and deployed a fix in iOS 14.8 to protect our users.”
This security vulnerability has been taking place since February and has been allowing an Israeli cybersecurity firm to infect iPhones using the messaging software. More than 1.65 billion Apple products have been vulnerable to the NSO’s spyware since around March.
Citizen Lab, a research group that studies cyberattacks, discovered the flaw. They identified this attack as a “zero click” attack. This means that there was no need for anyone to click on a link or open anything for their iPhone to be infected.
Apple is recommending that everyone update their devices as soon as possible. This patch is available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch software updates. This emergency updates came a day before a product launch event.
John Scott-Railton, who is a senior researcher for Citizen Lab, told Bloomberg, “What this highlights is that chat apps are the soft underbelly of device security. They are ubiquitous, which makes them really attractive, so they are an increasingly common target for attackers.”
New York Times quoted Railton, “This spyware can do everything that an iPhone user can do on their device and more.”
The spyware used for this attack is called Pegasus. Pegasus can activate the user’s camera and microphone and record other communications on that device. This stolen information is then sent to the NSO’s clients around the world.
The NSO Group has been under investigation by Citizen Lab for a while. They claim that this spyware is being used to fight terrorism, not to abuse human rights. This group has also been releasing different public works in an effort to mislead customers. These attacks are believed to be coming from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Lawsuit filed against Amburn’s Produce Market after injury of customer.
On April 2, Ellie Maston slipped in spill of green beans, causing her to fall and break her hip. Maston is charging the market with negligence because the spill was left on the floor. The lawsuit was filed for $100,000.
Maston allegedly “suffered permanent bodily and mental injuries, incurred medical expenses and lost income.”
Death of local man resulted from a two car collision in Sioux City, Iowa
Yesterday, Woodbury County Sheriffs responded to a car accident east of Highway 28 in Sioux City. Moyer Quick was accompanied by his wife, Dorothy Quick, and another passenger, Maxine Steuerwald, when his vehicle collided with a truck driven by Randy Radin, age 17.
The three survivors were admitted to the Sioux City General Hospital after the accident. Radin was considered to be in critical condition. Moyer, age 65, was the only death caused by the accident.
Both vehicles were sent into the ditch after Quick’s rear-end struck Radin while trying to pass The accident is under investigation to see if weather or road conditions aided in the accident.
Ban of hand-held radar guns is being requested in Sioux City, Iowa by East Dakota Highway patrol.
Yesterday, a precautionary ban of radar guns was put into action due to concerns of exposure to radiation. Studies have linked longterm exposure of radiation waves to the development of cancer in troopers. This ban will influence the removal of seventy radar guns that are in use.
The situation is under review after three workman’s compensation claims, expressing that their development of cancer was due to hand-held units, making this the first ban of its kind by a police agency.
This article talks about the dark side of the TikTok algorithm. The Wall Street Journal created a dozen automated TikTok accounts to test the algorithm to see what a minor might see. The ages of these bots were 13 to 15 years old. The objective of this research was to see how easy it would be for a minor to be exposed to drugs and sex. The findings showed that it did not take much for these accounts to be flooded with videos like this. You only have to be 13 to have an account and TikTok claims that they don’t have any programs to limit what minors are seeing. No matter what age, any user can see the same videos.
This article was very informative and went into great detail about the Wall Street Journal’s research. Besides this, I did think that the article was slightly bias. They talked about how with the TikTok algorithm, the longer you linger on a certain video, the more likely similar content will show up again. The thing that I found to be slightly bias is that these “automated” accounts went searching for hashtags and videos relating to sex and drugs. Then of course, these accounts would be shown more videos like this. Not every minor on TikTok is engaging or searching for videos like this.
After Silence From Supreme Court, Texas Clinics Confront Near-Total Abortion Ban
This article is about Texas creating a law that making most abortions after the six week mark illegal. This law went into action on Wednesday, making this the most limited abortion initiative in the nation. In Texas’s specific case, this law would be banning nearly 85-90 percent of abortions. The article also highlights where this fight all started with the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Texas’s law is different than other states that have passed similar laws because they wanted to make sure the law would be hard to question.
This article also provides some insight from medical personnel about the topic and how it would affect their departments. This law not only affects people wanting to get abortions but the doctors and nurses that have previously offered these services.
I think that this article is very informative. It provides a ton of information about the issue and how past issues have influenced this law. The author organized the article in a way that was easy to follow along and understand the facts. I also think that this article is very relevant to today’s world because this fight has been going on for so long..
Caleb Joseph Lubbers is a sophomore at Morningside University. Caleb is originally from Moville, Iowa. Caleb is double majoring in political science and mass communication. After his time at Morningside, he wants to attend law school, but he isn’t quite sure where yet. Caleb chose Morningside because his mom is a professor in the Education department. His father sells equipment to golf courses and his older brother sells insurance. Caleb has had a few different jobs over the years including working at a golf course in Moville, interning at a law office in Moville, interning at Secure National Bank in Sioux City, and coaching varsity golf for a high school in Moville.
At Morningside, Caleb is involved in the Student Government, where he holds a Senator position, and he is also the student station manager for the campus radio station. His favorite class he has taken at Morningside was Philosophy Special Topics: Technological Transformations of Society taught by Dr. Brandon Boesch. Caleb had this to say about the class, “I really enjoy Dr. Boesch and the way he taught the class. It was very engaging and made me think about deep concepts.”
Outside of all the things Caleb is involved in at Morningside, he spends his free time officiating sports at the varsity level, watching sports, and golfing. His favorite baseball team is the Cubs and his favorite college team is the Iowa Hawkeyes