A Journalist Silenced, The Next Credit Card Theft Scandal & Other News You Can't Miss Today

RIP – This column typically only covers business, tech and the workplace, but I can't start without a word on the worst news of the day. ISIS released a video showing the murder of another journalist, Steven Sotloff, a freelancer reporting in Syria and captured a year ago. Like James Foley before him, he was beheaded on camera and the televised plea of his mother to the leader of ISIS could not stop it. The video – which I beg you not to watch or share, less those who would seek to terrorize us should reach their aim – was authenticated by US intelligence. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, the terrorist organization that now controls large areas of both countries, said the killing was retaliation for US airstrikes in Northern Iraq. They now threaten a British journalist also held hostage, who remains unnamed at his family's request.

To bring you news far more important than anything I could write here, journalists, often young freelancers without the support or safety afforded by a large organization, put their lives on the line. Media or aid workers have always died in conflicts, unintended victims of a dangerous crossfire. Now though they are targeted, sought out for the countries they come from and the values they represent. Sotloff is the 34th journalist killed for their work this year. It takes a special kind of person to stick it out nonetheless. I didn't know Steven Sotloff, but I know there is no better way to honor a silenced journalist than to read and share his stories. Here they are. And here are James Foley's.

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CLOUDY WEATHER FOR APPLE – With no possible transition, an update on Apple's troubles. Apple says its investigation shows neither iCloud nor Find my iPhone were breached to obtain the stolen nude photos of celebrities that have been circulating online and it'd rather not take the blame, thank you very much. That's a carefully worded statement though: no one was suggesting that a centralized hack of Apple's servers had occurred. Only that while responsibility for one's online safety ultimately rests with the individual, Apple could have done a bit more to educate and enable its users to be safe.

What seems to have happen is several hackers obtained images over time in "very targeted" attacks, guessing a celebrity's username, password and security questions. And while only celebrities make headlines, this happens every day to lots of everyday women. (For the last time, security questions aren't secure. Especially if you're a celebrity and your mom's maiden name or childhood pet's name is on Wikipedia. Enable two-step verification. My colleague John C Abell has a post I warmly recommend on why we should ditch the old password and what you can do to be safe.)

Photos had been circulating for a while in corners of the Internet where you and I never trod, until one hoarder who had collected them all released the batch. Business Insider's James Cook has a fascinating look at how that works. This is all terrible timing for Apple and CEO Tim Cook, who will be announcing the long-awaited iPhone 6 and iWatch at a big event next Tuesday. The announcement is sure to include many features using the cloud, so it's paramount for Apple to reassure its users the product can be trusted. Stay tuned.

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ANOTHER ONE – And while we're talking breaches, Home Depot is investigating a possible credit card data theft that could dwarf the recent massive breach at Target. According to security journalist Brian Krebs, the attack was likely carried out by the same group of Russian and Ukrainian hackers that hit Target, with undertones of retribution for European and US sanctions against Moscow. (Caveat: criminals do what criminals do. Political justifications are often just a cloak for financial motives. See above.) Krebs' sources say the breach may extend back to late April or early May, which means .

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I QUIT! – And to end on a happier note, CVS pharmacies have quit selling tobacco a month earlier than planned. In a clever bit of marketing, former cigarette shelves are now covered with information on how to kick the habit. "Let's quit together," the campaign says. Don Draper would be proud. The company had announced its intention to stop selling tobacco products in February, saying – and it's hard to argue – that you can't call yourself a pharmacy when you're selling a product that kills people. The change comes with a new name, CVS Health, and a new strategy – to position itself squarely as a healthcare company, not an odds-and-ends retailer. Says an analyst to the New York Times Rachel Abrams:

If they can be perceived as a place to go to receive health care, and buy health care products, as opposed to the place to go to buy a bottle of whiskey or get your film developed, then they can capture more of the retail medicine dollars.” (Read the full story.)

Please, just don't copy Walgreen's and force-feed me a "be well" on every visit. Too creepy.

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Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr