Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Security and Privacy for Non-Techies, 5th Edition

Don’t Get Caught With Your Drawbridge Down! Just how secure is your computer right now? My guess is that you probably don’t really know. Computers and the Internet have revolutionized the modern world, but if you’re like most people, you have no clue how these things work or what the real threats are. It’s not your fault. Where would you have learned about this? Who would have taught you? While there are tons of technical books on ‘cybersecurity’ for people that already understand computers and networking, there are almost none for regular, everyday folks. That’s why I felt the need to write this book.

Protecting your computer is like defending a medieval castle. While moats, walls, drawbridges and castle guards can be effective, you’d bankrupt the kingdom trying to build something dragon-proof. Security is never absolute, so it’s about making the right trade offs and finding the defenses that offer the most bang for the buck. Just like we’ve learned over the years that we need to wear our seat belts, install smoke alarms, and put on sunscreen before we go to the beach, there are dozens of no-brainer things we should all be doing to protect our computers and safeguard our data.

I’ve structured this book to give you the maximum benefit with the smallest amount of effort. If you want to know the ‘why’, I explain how these things work in simple terms than even non-techies can follow; but if you’re short on time, you can skip straight to the checklists at the end of each chapter. Each checklist comes with step-by-step instructions, including pictures showing you what you should see on your computer. Topics include: choosing and managing passwords, securely browsing the web and communicating with others, shopping and banking online, creating automated backups, locking down social media accounts, and even some tips for safeguarding your kids online. And if you want to go the extra mile, this book also explains some of the more interesting and important aspects of security such as encryption, password cracking, home networking, the Internet, VPN’s, and more! This book covers most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.