Essential Computer Security: Everyone's Guide to Email,...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 360 pages
• Published by: Syngress
• Edition: 1st Edition October 30, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1597491144
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1597491143
• Book Dimensions: 8.7 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 15.2 ounces

Product Description
Essential Security Advice from Tony Bradley, About.com's Guide for Internet/Network Security

"Security is a process, not a product, and computer security is everyone's responsibility. You wouldn't leave the backdoor of your home or business open to intruders, and your computer merits the same prudence. Even Dodge City had a Wyatt Earp to keep order if things got out of hand. In the wild world of the Internet, there is no sheriff. With Essential Computer Security you can act as your own deputy by arming yourself with fundamental knowledge of the important aspects of computer security."-Douglas Schweitzer, Sc.D., security expert and author of Securing the Network from Malicious Code

Coverage includes:

Basic Windows Security

Passwords

Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware

Patching

Perimeter Security

E-mail Safety

Web Surfing Privacy and Safety

Wireless Network Security

Spyware and Adware

Glossary of Technology and Terminology

About The Author
Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, is the Guide for the About.com site for Internet / Network Security. He has written for a variety of other web sites and publications including SearchSecurity.com, WindowsNetworking.com, Smart Computing Magazine and Information Security Magazine. Currently a security architect and consultant for a Fortune 100 company, Tony has driven security policies and technologies for antivirus and incident response for Fortune 500 companies and he has been network administrator and technical support for smaller companies. He is Microsoft Certified as an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) and MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) in Windows 2000 and an MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) in Windows NT.

He has on average over 600,000 page views per month and 25,000 subscribers to his weekly newsletter. He created a 10-part Computer Security 101 Class which has had thousands of participants since its creation and continues to gain in popularity through word of mouth.



Reader Reviews
One of the first things to know about this book is that it doesn't try to be a complete reference for computer security, and it keeps it focus very well. It doesn't try to be a computer security book for the top 5% of the technically inclined, either. Instead, it tries to be a computer security book for the masses and covers topics that they'll need to know to keep their computer safe. The book outline why this is important to the average user: your own data will be kept safe and your computer will be kept problem free, and your computer wont be a problem source for everyone else. The book does a decent job of laying out what it will cover and mostly picks topics that matter most, require the least amount of extra effort to make it happen. The book isn't just for one situation, either, and it covers some home network setups which include wireless routers and such. Overall, it seems to have picked its territory well. It covers this territory in an OK fashion, which is to say that it gives an adequate treatment to the important topics but leaves a few spots uncovered. I'm pleased that it covers some basic WinXP stuff, like how to secure your accounts and such. The chapter on passwords was OK, and about what I expected. Obviously these are important, as bots that perform brute force attacks to get in are as popular as ever. The chapter on patching is OK, but seems incomplete. It should have done a better job of covering Windows Update a little more thoroughly (it felt like it stopped short of this important feature) and a bit more on how to use built-in vendor supplied "I have an update available" stuff that is increasingly popular. Part II is what's probably unique about this book, and gives some of the best meat around for this level of a book. It covers home networking safety (ie keeping the neighbor kid from using your WIFI and keeping your computers safe and usable behind a DSL firewall), email security (both your account credentials and attachment security), and spyware, adware, and general web-browser security. I would have liked to have seen the book advocate (with great reasons) Firefox over IE and Windows Defender in addition to AdAware and Hijack This. Part 3 is about maintenance and backups, and it's decent. It slips into Linux advocacy in Chapter 12, which we could have done without. The appendices are good, well reasoned and well executed. The case study and the basics covered complement the book well. Overall the book does a decent job, and targets the kind of person who would like to know enough to participate in some popular forums and contribute, so they have some technical skills that they're growing. It wont do so well with people who are not very technically inclined, and that's not unsurprising.