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2023 | Buch

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Security and Privacy for Non-Techies

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Über dieses Buch

Rely on this practical, comprehensive guide to significantly improve your cyber safety and data privacy. This book was written expressly for regular, everyday people -- though even technically savvy readers will find many useful tips here. This book contains everything you need to protect yourself-step by step, without judgment, and with as little jargon as possible.

Protecting your digital domain is much like defending a medieval castle. Wide moats, towering walls and trained guards provide defense in depth, safeguarding the people and property within against the most common threats. But attempting to dragon-proof your castle would be counterproductive and costly. The goal of this book is to keep your devices and data safe from the most likely and impactful hazards - not a targeted attack by the NSA. Like wearing seat belts and sunscreen in the real world, there are dozens of simple, effective precautions we need to take in the virtual world.

Author Carey Parker has structured this book to give you maximum benefit with minimum effort. If you just want to know what you need to do, each chapter includes a detailed checklist of expert tips. But the book also explains why you need to do these things, using entertaining analogies and straightforward explanations. This revised and expanded fifth edition includes:

Updated for Windows 11, macOS 13 (Ventura), iOS 16 and Android 13. Updated recommendations for most secure and private products. Over 200 tips with complete step-by-step instructions and screenshots.

What You Will Learn
Maximize your computer and smartphone security. Minimize your vulnerabilities and data footprint. Solve your password problems and use two-factor authentication. Browse the web safely and confidently with a secure, private browser. Shop and bank online with maximum security and peace of mind. Defend against identity theft, ransomware and online scams. Safeguard your children online, at home and in school. Block online tracking, data mining and malicious online ads. Send files and messages with end-to-end encryption. Secure your home network and keep your smart devices from spying on you. Create automated backups of all your devices. Learn how to deal with account hacks, data. breaches and viruses. Understand how computers, the internet, VPNs and encryption really work And much more!

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Here Be Dragons
Abstract
Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of securing your devices and your data, I want to provide some motivation and set some expectations. In this chapter, I’ll help you understand what your real risks are and how safe you can expect to be. Being that this is the first chapter, I’ll take this opportunity to explain how this book is organized and help get the most out of it.
Carey Parker
Chapter 2. Privacy Matters
Abstract
You can’t talk about security without also talking about privacy. The two are inextricably linked. At a basic level, security enables privacy—for example, strong encryption helps us keep our data private. But privacy is fundamentally separate from security and is important in its own right. And unlike with security, we are often at odds with companies and government agencies when it comes to privacy. For this reason and others, I feel that privacy is the most important topic of this book. In this chapter, I’ll explain why.
Carey Parker
Chapter 3. Castle Guard Certification
Abstract
Before we can begin to discuss security, we really have to define some key terms and concepts. You do not have to memorize this stuff, and it’s okay if you don’t follow everything here. But for the rest of this book to make sense, I need to get you up to speed on the basics of how computers and the Internet work. I’ve thrown in some fun little tidbits that will help to keep things interesting. There will be a wide range of people reading this book, and I just can’t take the time to fully explain everything. But in this chapter, I’ll give you a solid base to work from.
Carey Parker
Chapter 4. Get Your Castle in Order
Abstract
With the key background knowledge from the previous chapter, we’re ready to start taking some truly important steps to being more secure. If you do nothing else but follow the tips at the end of this chapter, you will be miles ahead of most people.
Carey Parker
Chapter 5. Who Goes There?
Abstract
We can’t go much further in this book without discussing passwords. I hate passwords. I hate them with a passion. And I know I’m not alone. But despite some promising new technology, I’m here to tell you that password-based authentication is still your most secure option for proving your identity today, if you use them correctly. By the time you finish this chapter, you’ll understand why.
Carey Parker
Chapter 6. Raise the Drawbridge!
Abstract
Now it’s time to really get into the meat of the book—computer security! This chapter covers the topics that most people probably associate most with security: Macs vs. PCs, antivirus software, and operating system security settings. This chapter will cover those topics and more, with a slew of top-notch tips to make sure your desktop or laptop is locked down tight.
Carey Parker
Chapter 7. Guard the Castle Gate
Abstract
In this chapter, we’re going to discuss your home network—the main gate for your digital castle. Everything that comes in or goes out of your home network goes through your modem and router. We’ll also discuss some common devices on your network, VPNs, and more.
Carey Parker
Chapter 8. Spies in Your Midst
Abstract
Much of what we do today on our computers is surfing the Web. Unfortunately, browsing the Internet today means dealing with a vast array of tracking and other privacy dangers. So, in this chapter, we’re going to learn about how to surf safely.
Carey Parker
Chapter 9. Coded Messages and Wax Seals
Abstract
Web surfing is all fine and good, but it’s mostly a solo activity. When we need to communicate with others, we turn to other methods like text messaging, email, and video chat. In this chapter, I’ll help you understand how these communication mechanisms work and how best to keep them secure and private, like a king might encode his messages on parchment and enclose them with a wax seal using his signet ring.
Carey Parker
Chapter 10. Protect the Market and Town Square
Abstract
We’ve talked about how to surf the Web safely and covered the basics of digital communications. Now we need to cover a few other related topics that have to do with your online behavior in general. We’ll cover online banking and shopping, social media, cloud storage services, and just commonsense tips for living in the digital age.
Carey Parker
Chapter 11. Watch over the Lads and Lasses
Abstract
So far, we’ve been focused on cybersecurity and privacy for adults. If you’re a parent, grandparent, or educator, this chapter will help you understand how to better protect the kids in your care.
Carey Parker
Chapter 12. Armored Carriage: Your Mobile Castle
Abstract
Mobile devices have become integral parts of our lives—particularly smartphones like Apple’s iPhone and all the variants of Android phones. Unlike our desktop machines, mobile phones are mobile computers we carry with us everywhere, outside the more secure confines of our home. This chapter is dedicated to helping you make your smartphones more secure and private.
Carey Parker
Chapter 13. Odds and Ends
Abstract
At this point in the book, I’ve covered most of the technical topics that require background and longer explanations. However, there are a handful of other topics that I want to touch on because I feel they’re important or interesting, topics that didn’t neatly fit into the broader categories covered by previous chapters.
Carey Parker
Chapter 14. Parting Thoughts
Abstract
Congratulations! You have just read an entire book on computer security! We’ve covered a ton of ground in this book. Give yourself a hearty pat on the back for reading through it all! I hope I managed to teach you some things you didn’t know, in a way that wasn’t boring. More than anything, I hope I’ve managed to convince you that cybersecurity and personal privacy are both vitally important and along the way helped you to protect your computer castle. Before I wrap things up, I wanted to share with you a few last thoughts.
Carey Parker
Backmatter
Metadaten
Titel
Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons
verfasst von
Carey Parker
Copyright-Jahr
2023
Verlag
Apress
Electronic ISBN
978-1-4842-9036-1
Print ISBN
978-1-4842-9035-4
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-9036-1