Everyday Cybersecurity: A practical approach to understanding cybersecurity

You are the target. Whether you’re a multi-millionaire, CEO, or work for minimum wage and don’t even have a bank account, you are a target of cybercriminals. Other than financial assets, your personal information, contacts, and computing devices all have value. We use computing devices everywhere, and most people don’t even consider the personal informational hazards their actions, or lack of action, can pose.

There is a shortage of good cybersecurity awareness resources focusing on non-technical users, and a deficiency in resources teaching people how to better protect their personal information, and what to do if their information is compromised. There is a need for a more practical, easier-to-understand approach to cybersecurity for the common person.

I wrote this book as if I were teaching my family, friends, and coworkers on a more personal, non-technical level. They don’t need to know the technical details, but a fundamental understanding of the importance of “Best Practices” is key to protecting personal information.

My goal is to help you understand what you should be doing, and why. That is how I approach the various security-related topics in this book. Drawing on personal experiences, and over ten years of working with non-technical users, I’ve tried to make the subjects in cybersecurity easy to comprehend. Some of those subjects are:

• Why you are a target of cybercriminals
• Different types of malware, including a discussion of Cryptomining
• Social engineering attacks, including a discussion of phishing
• Scams and how to protect yourself and your family
• Ways to secure your home network and internet browsing
• Protecting children online and teaching safe social media interaction
• The dangers of smart devices and the internet of things
• Recommendations for protecting information on social media
• Why you need to be cautious with mobile devices and ways to be more secure on them
• How physical security affects your cybersecurity
• How to better secure your personal information and identity
• What documents, hard copy and digital, may contain information you should be protecting
• How to protect the identity of children in your care
• What to do if your information is compromised in a data breach, or your identity is stolen.
• Some of the government regulations that are attempting to help you protect your information

Chapters covering best practices include:

• Secure passwords, including–
o What makes a password secure, and how fast bad passwords are cracked
o How to create memorable and secure passwords
o How to easily manage passwords
• Backing up your data, with discussion about different backup types and how often
• The importance of updates and upgrades for operating systems, applications, and anti-malware solutions
• Encryption, what it is and why you should be using it
• What types of multi-factor authentication may be used, and why you should opt-in, if given the choice

Unlike other “beginner” books on cybersecurity, I don’t discuss careers, how to become a hacker, or configuring network or system defenses and countermeasures. That is not what my family, most of my friends, and coworkers want. They want to know what they can do to be safer online, and to better protect their information.

In short, my book is about you becoming more secure in your everyday life, and learning to protect your personal information in common interactions.

It’s about being you safe in your virtual and physical worlds.

Best wishes to your better cybersecurity awareness,

-Chris