Episode #178 - Ultimate Member Plugin Allows Ultimate Website Access; Army Soldiers and Nefarious Smartwatches; Biometric Airport Security; China curbs metal exports to slow US chip making; This Day in Tech History

Resources for this episode available at 505updates.com.

From Edwin Kwan in Sydney, Australia: WordPress plugin, Ultimate Member, is vulnerable to a privileged escalation vulnerability that allows attackers to gain administrator access to the WordPress site. 

From Trac Bannon in Salem, Massachusetts: Over the past few weeks, a number of US soldiers opened their mail and found a pretty cool gift, a free smartwatch. What could be so bad about that? 

From Hillary Coover in Washington, DC: In a pilot project conducted by the Transportation Security Administration at 16 airports across the United States, facial recognition technology is being used to enhance air airport security and streamline procedures. 

From Katy Craig in San Diego, California: The US has been actively curbing China's access to advanced microprocessors and other critical technologies. The semiconductor industry has become a focal point in the intense rivalry between the two largest economies.

From Marcel Brown in St. Louis, Missouri: July 4th, 1956. MIT's whirlwind, which had been completed five years earlier, becomes the first computer in the world to allow its users to enter commands through a keyboard. Previously, all input was accomplished through dials, switches, and or punch cards. 

From Sourced Network Production in New York city. "It's 5:05". I'm Pokie Huang. Today is Wednesday, July 5th. Here's the full story behind today's cyber security and open source headlines...