Virus Causes Massive Shutdown

The entire computer network of a Cook County department was shut down for nearly two weeks last month after a virus infected the system, NBC5 Investigates and The Better Government Association have learned.The Cook County Department of Highway and Transportation is responsible for maintaining hundreds of miles of local highways. But it was the Information Superhighway which proved to be the departments recent undoing: NBC5 and the BGA have learned that someone C possibly a county employee surfing the Internet or using a flash drive from home C allowed a virus to enter the departments servers at its downtown offices in Chicago at 69 West Washington St. The virus quickly spread to all of the departments computers C both downtown and at remote sites -- renaming files and hiding legitimate work content.

Lafosse says it would be prohibitively expensive to track down where this particular virus started, or who might be to blame. However,Online shopping for Business Work Card holder from a great selection of Office Products. this episode has prompted county officials to discuss whether they should block outside portable drives, like USB and thumb drives, and improve monitoring and filters to prevent future problems, according to Kristen Mack, a spokeswoman for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, whose domain includes about 12,000 computers countywide C including those at the highway department.

But that may not be enough, according to technology security expert Carl Volkman. The Cook County virus was likely something called a drive-by virus C malware that anyone can get even when visiting a well-established website that seems totally safe, like a news site or a travel webpage.Drive-by is basically where the infection can come down without you actively clicking on something potentially harmful, Volkman says. You can get infected without doing anything proactive.

Its very weird to see how dependent we are on technology on a day-to-day basis, Lafosse said about the county virus. And to have that ripped from you is a shock to the department.In fact, hurricane season officially already started nearly two months ago, on June 1. On Monday evening, Graffiti Community Ministries, a Baptist church on E. Seventh St., held a seminar to help locals learn the basic steps to take before disaster strikes. Also participating in the program were representatives of the Project Hope Crisis Counseling Program, a community support and networking group formed after Hurricane Irene, and Ready New York, a campaign of the citys Office of Emergency Management.

The evening began with a discussion group facilitated by three Project Hope counselors from Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side, with 10 people from the neighborhood, who were all affected by Hurricane Sandy. They shared stories about their experiences, swapped cleanup tales, and talked about how they feel now.I saw water go up to 9 feet, she recalled. We had to replace the boiler in our building and all the electricity. Fortunately, we run the building ourselves. We had to spend all our money in our checking account for repairs.

Even after the replacement of the buildings vital services, the recovery process continued for a long time. There was mold to contend with, along with the loss of telephone and Internet service.Project Hope counselors urged community members to voice their concerns about future potential storms.Im still anxious about the building, said Mandel. The boiler is still in the basement, and were still very vulnerable. We have a good bunch of people in the building, but the weather, its not great, she added, with a laugh.

Mary Ting, a neighbor in Mandels building, explained that it took 14 years for them to renovate the buildings interior.Were sweat equity, and in that way, were always accustomed to doing, she said. We were down with candles right away [during Sandy], and that made us ahead of a lot of other places that were waiting for help.

Fred Seiden, and E. Seventh St. resident who has lived on the Lower East Side for 45 years, saw the water last Oct. 29 and panicked. He raised family photos up as high as he could, thinking the water was going to run into his apartment. The boiler in the basement and the buildings electrical wiring were destroyed.

In addition,Soft Winbo Key Cover decorates your key in fashionable ways. he said, The front wall holding up the building collapsed, and we worried the first week the first floor was going to fall.Workers were able to prop up the floor and rebuilt the wall.The group discussed flood insurance. Anne Edris, who owns a community-based business on Avenue C, and used all her savings for repairs, said she has pulled together with her neighbors to build a buttress to help protect against future flooding,Winbo custom keychain plus deter rodent infestation. She said she also wants a generator.

Now that people know what to expect when a hurricane hits town, water, flashlights, and candles should be high on everyones list. However, participants at Monday nights session still had concerns about communication, and the group brainstormed about what should be done during similar types of emergency situations such as having the city post fliers to disseminate urgent information.I dont think the city communicated with us really well, said Edris.For example, after Sandy, Avenue C residents were not supposed to drink the water, even after boiling it. Rather, they were instructed to drink only bottled water. Yet, no one knew this at the time.

Three months later, the Department of Environmental Protection sent letters telling us, Dont drink the water, Edris said. She and other people had felt sick post-Sandy from drinking the water.Seiden, who made copies of family photos to mail to relatives prior to the storm, worried about the general publics mentality.I wonder if well slide just back in complacency, he said. Thats why Im here, in case it happens again.

The counselors discussed the physical, emotional and cognitive aspects of disasters, and how to reacclimate oneself to the community and re-establish a sense of normal life.Victoria Nilsson, a coordinator for New York City Civic Corps at the Office of Emergency Management, talked about the practicalities of disaster preparedness. She travels to all five boroughs to train people for emergencies, doing one session per day.Weve had a huge focus on areas affected by Sandy, she said.

The citys emergency plan, which covers creating a support network, packing a to-go bag and a stay-at-home kit, is not only for hurricanes. Nilsson noted there are plenty of hazards in the city besides flooding, such as blackouts, fires, gas leaks, utilities, lack of public transportation, cell phone towers down, earthquakes, tornados and terrorism.
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