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Augu s t 3 , 2015 • $ 1 .0 0
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IDOT hosts meeting on proposed roundabout
Agency seeking public input on Coral Township project By HANNAH PROKOP prokop@shawmedia.com
Illustration by Caleb West – cwest@shawmedia.com
CYBER SECURITY IN FOCUS Report found many breaches start with weak password Voice your opinion
By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com Stop reading this article. Stop, right now and go change the passwords on your sensitive accounts. (But come back when you’re done.) A recent report from Trustwave – a Chicago-based company that helps businesses reduce the risk of cybercrimes – found consumers still are leaving themselves vulnerable to a cyber hack. The Trustwave report, which investigated more than 500 data compromises in 15 countries, found 28 percent of online security breaches resulted from weak passwords. And for those of you currently changing your passwords, remember “Password1” is not good enough, although it’s still the most commonly used, according to Trustwave. (“Welcome1,” “P@ssword,” “Summer1!” and “password” round out the top five most common.) Passwords that are eight characters or less take only one day to crack, Trustwave found. By adding just two characters, it can take hackers 591 days to crack. McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Aimee Knop has conducted cyber security and identity theft educational classes for the commu-
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nity. She offered this advice: “Don’t have the same password for all accounts. Use numbers, letters, upper and lower case, symbols.” “The more complicated the password is, the better chance it is for you to be protected,” she said. When making online transactions, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Office suggests consumers always use a secure browser. Most legitimate businesses use encryption technology to enable consumers to safely send personal data such as credit card numbers and banking information online. Encryption technology scrambles personal information for transmission and decodes it only once it has safely reached the intended vendor, the office said. To ensure you are using a secure browser, look for a web address that begins with “https” instead of “http” on the pages that ask for personal information. Madigan’s office has instituted an Identity Theft Unit and Hotline that reportedly has helped remove more than $27 million worth
of fraudulent charges on more than 37,000 Illinois consumers’ accounts, the Attorney General’s Office said. Often, breaches aren’t detected immediately. Trustwave found the average breach wasn’t detected for 86 days, and 81 percent did not notice it themselves. “The majority of compromises we investigated were discovered by parties external to the victim – regulatory bodies, card brands or merchant banks in 58 percent of our sample. In 2014, law enforcement was first to discover 12 percent of the compromises we investigated, compared to just 3 percent in the year prior,” the Trustwave report said. That’s why it’s “extremely important” to monitor activity on bank accounts and credit card statements, Knop said. “Checking statements once a month could be too late,” she said. In recent years, the sheriff’s office has increased its educational efforts on cyber attacks and scams, and found that in turn, residents are more vigilant. “We’ve seen an increase in people saying, ‘This scam is going on. I didn’t fall for it, but I want you to be aware it’s happening,’ ” Knop said. “We’ve really upped our education on scams, and we’re hopeful it’s working and that people are catching it before it’s too late.”
UNION – A roundabout at an intersection that transportation officials have determined is one of the most dangerous in Illinois might be built without moving or demolishing Old Harmony School. A new alternative for the proposed roundabout at Route 20 and Harmony Road in Coral Township would shift the roundabout east to avoid the schoolhouse, said John Baczek, Illinois Department of Transportation project and environmental studies section chief. A public hearing to gain input on the project will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Leggee Elementary School, 13723 Harmony Road, Huntley. Building the roundabout would cost about $4.8 million, in addition to about $400,000 in land acquisition costs, Baczek said. The project is part of IDOT’s 2016-21 Proposed Highway Improvement Program. Originally estimated to cost about $4.5 million, the project was put on hold after concern was raised over what to do with Old Harmony School. The 1930s schoolhouse was designated a local landmark by the McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission in 2013. It is home to Harmony Auto Sales. Kurt Begalka, administrator at the McHenry County Historical Society, has described the schoolhouse as a “oneof-a-kind historic structure.” Earlier plans for the roundabout suggested
If you go WHAT: Public hearing on proposed roundabout in Coral Township WHEN: 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday WHERE: Leggee Elementary School, 13723 Harmony Road, Huntley moving or demolishing the schoolhouse, but after it was designated a local landmark, “We had to re-look at the alternatives to see if there was something to avoid this property,” Baczek said. At the public hearing, there will be exhibits and an audio-video presentation on the roundabout, according to a news release. Project team members also will be at the hearing to discuss the project and answer questions. Some have questioned why a traditional traffic signal could not be used instead of the roundabout, a circular intersection proponents argue is a safer alternative to typical intersections. “Based on our new analysis, our recommendation is to still do the roundabout,” Baczek said, adding it also is the cheaper option. After public input has been made, IDOT will make a final decision on the roundabout plan, Baczek said. He said the earliest construction could start would be in late 2017 or early 2018. Written comments can be submitted at the meeting or through the project’s website. Comments received by Aug. 26 will become part of the meeting record, according to the news release.
Ferguson spurs 40 new state measures; activists want more By DAVID A. LIEB The Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – When a white Ferguson policeman fatally shot a black 18-year-old nearly a year ago, the St. Louis suburb erupted in violent protests and the nation took notice. Since then, legislators in almost every state have proposed changes to the way police interact with the public. The result: Twenty-four states have passed at least 40 new measures addressing such things as of-
ficer-worn cameras, training about racial bias, independent investigations when police use force and new limits on the flow of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Despite all that action, far more proposals have stalled or failed, the AP review found. And few states have done anything to change their laws on when police are justified to use deadly force. National civil rights leaders praised the steps taken by states but said they aren’t enough to solve the
racial tensions and economic disparities that have fueled protests in Ferguson, Baltimore, New York and elsewhere following instances in which people died in police custody or shootings. “What we have right now in the country is an emerging consensus as to the need to act,” said NAACP President Cornell William Brooks. “What we don’t have is a consensus as to how to act, what to act on and how to do this in some kind of priority order.”
See FERGUSON, page A2
AP file photo
Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal wipes her eye Sept. 10 as she speaks on the Senate floor in Jefferson City, Mo. Chappelle-Nadal, who was among the those tear gassed by police while protesting Michael Brown’s shooting with her constituents in Ferguson, Mo., said as a state, Missouri has not done much. Lawmakers filed about 65 bills stemming from the events in Ferguson, but passing just one, a measure limiting municipal court fines and traffic tickets.
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