Additional information
by Carey Parker (Author)
Rely on this practical, end-to-end guide on cyber safety and privacy written expressly for a non-technical audience. You'll have just what you need to protect yourself--step by step, without judgment, and with as little jargon as possible. Just how secure is your computer right now? You probably don't know. Computers and the Internet have revolutionized the modern world, but if you are like most people, you have no clue how these things work and don't know the real threats.
Protecting your computer is like defending a medieval castle. While moats, walls, drawbridges, and castle guards can be effective, you would go broke trying to build something dragon-proof. This book is not about protecting yourself from a targeted attack by the NSA; it is about arming yourself against common hackers and mass surveillance. There are dozens of no-brainer things we all should be doing to protect our computers and safeguard our data--just like wearing a seat belt, installing smoke alarms, and putting on sunscreen.
Author Carey Parker has structured this book to give you maximum benefit with minimum effort. If you just want to know what to do, every chapter has a complete checklist with step-by-step instructions and pictures. This revised and expanded fifth edition contains more than 170 tips to make you and your family safer. It includes:
- Updates for Windows 11 and Mac OS 12 (Monterey)
- Updates for iOS 15.5 and Android 12
- Updated recommendations on the best apps, products, and services
- A preview of Mac OS 11 Big Sur and iOS 14
What You Will Learn
- Protect your data and reclaim your privacy
- Minimize your data footprint
- Use an alias to enhance both security and privacy
- Gain privacy for your car
- Create killer passwords that you do not have to remember
- Browse the web safely and with confidence
- Shop and bank online with maximum security
- Defend against identity theft
- Protect yourself from viruses and scams
- Maximize your smartphone security and privacy
- Safeguard your children online
- Block online tracking and dangerous ads
- Send files and messages securely and privately
- Set up secure home networking
- Keep your smart devices from spying on you
- Create automated backups of all your devices
- Know how the Internet actually works
- And more!
Who This Book Is For
Those who use computers and mobile devices, but do not know (or care) how they work. The book is for people who want to know what they need to do to protect themselves--step by step, without judgment, and with as little jargon as possible.
Back Jacket
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.
- 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!
Author Biography
Carey Parker, CIPM was born and raised in Indiana, an only child who loved to tear apart his electronic toys and reassemble them in interesting ways. He began programming computers in middle school when personal computers were just starting to become popular. For years, these twin interests percolated until he attended Purdue University and learned that you could get paid to do this stuff--it was called electrical engineering! After obtaining both bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering, Carey launched his career in telecommunications software development at Bell Northern Research (aka the "Big Nerd Ranch"). Over the next 20 years, he wrote software for multiple companies, large and small, and lived in various cities across the southern United States. In recent years, particularly after the Edward Snowden revelations in 2013, Carey became deeply concerned about computer security and privacy. In 2014, he began combining his passion for computers, cybersecurity, and fantasy novels with his long-time desire to write a book, and the result is Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. This eventually launched a blog, newsletter, and weekly podcast of the same name.
