LETTERS
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FOOD WEEK FAN I again wanted to extend my appreciation to Illinois Times, participating restaurants and sponsors for another great 217 Food Week. In addition, the sponsors who provided the prize package also deserve another round of applause. Todd Hall Springfield
BICYCLE THEFTS While I am aware that six months have passed, four of my own bicycles were stolen from the John Kilroy Rentals property, Northmere Apartments, at 820 E. Converse Ave., between early September and mid-October of 2016.
Since land owners and the Springfield Police Department could not care less about bicycle theft, I am appealing to your readers. I am asking readers to coerce Springfield into taking real action regarding these crime waves.
I am asking readers to begin flooding both department stores and bicycle sales shops with this message: “We the people of Springfield want your business to start having your suppliers begin adding electronic tagging to every bicycle which your store/shop sells.”
Like LoJack for cars, these transmitters would be installed as a permanent part of each bicycle sold. The result is that each time a bicycle is stolen, the odds of catching a thief red-handed with stolen goods will increase by up to 500 percent.
How long will thieves continue to steal private property when owners can have the police on thieves’ doorsteps within an hour of each theft?
Yes, I understand that such tagging will increase the sale price of each bicycle by up to $45; however, readers should consider this: In just 40 days time, and just six months ago, I have had stolen, from my landlords property, more than $500 worth of bicycles and add-on parts. Now, I ask readers which is cheaper: paying a total of $130 for a “tagged” bicycle one time, or paying out thousands of dollars in total after repeated bicycle thefts? Norman Hinderliter Springfield
INTERNET SECURITY Are you compliant or are you complicit when using computers and the internet? Most people might say they are in compliance with the standards of “safe use” when browsing the internet or using their computers. What about your organization? Does the same apply to them?
As the dust settles on the recent WannaCry ransomware attack, people will point fingers and excuses will be made, but an organization’s security comes down to whether or not it is compliant with best practices laid out by IT security professionals around the world.
Ensuring that your organization and facility are secure costs money, but wouldn’t you rather spend a dollar today to save yourself from spending $100 in a week or a year? Ransomware and other malware attacks cost real money to businesses, and not just in profit: loss of time, employee or client information and others can lead to long-term loss and even closure.
There have been proven success stories throughout central Illinois where companies have been on the verge of a meltdown, but thanks to a well-designed security plan, they are able to shake off any possible losses. Not having a plan today is pennywise and pound foolish, and I can guarantee it will affect your bottom line.
The most common cyber attack today, phishing, utilizes social engineering to trick individuals into feeling a level of comfort. But in the time it takes to click a hyperlink, you can lose everything. The vast majority of infections come from within. A recent Pew study showed as few as 1 percent of respondents could accurately answer all 13 questions about cybersecurity threats, while only 20 percent could answer more than eight correctly.
That’s bad news. We aren’t equipped as humans to successfully evade these attacks, and the odds are against us the more of us there are in an organization.
The writing is on the wall, but here is the good news: It’s not too late to do something about it. Cost-effective, custom designed IT security plans are within reach. The question is: Are you ready to be compliant, or will you remain complicit? Colin Helton Springfield
