Reviews
"The goal of this helpful resource is to explain the importance of cybersecurity to anyone using a computer or mobile device. ... The most valuable aspect is the authors' holistic approach. ... They present concepts in easily understood language, define potential threats, and describe concrete steps to defend against and reduce exposures. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, two-year technical program students, and general readers." (M. B. DuBois, Choice, Vol. 53 (10), June, 2016) "Written for a general audience, with end-of-chapter references for the more technically and detail minded, readers will be pleased to place this excellent presentation on their bookshelves. ... This excellent presentation is readable by novices. It is so well rounded that even a seasoned professional will be reminded of issues to address. ... Readers will enjoy and learn from this book." (Brad Reid, Computing Reviews, December, 2015)
Synopsis
Drs. Pelton and Singh warn of the increasing risks of cybercrime and lay out a series of commonsense precautions to guard against individual security breaches. This guide clearly explains the technology at issue, the points of weakness and the best ways to proactively monitor and maintain the integrity of individual networks. Covering both the most common personal attacks of identity fraud, phishing, malware and breach of access as well as the larger threats against companies and governmental systems, the authors explain the vulnerabilities of the internet age. As more and more of life's transactions take place online, the average computer user and society at large have a lot to lose. All users can take steps to secure their information. Cybercrime is so subtle and hidden, people can ignore the threat until it is too late. Yet today about every three seconds a person is hit by some form of cyber attack out of the blue. Locking the "cyber-barn door" after a hacker has struck is way too late. Cyber security, cyber crime and cyber terrorism may seem to be intellectual crimes that don't really touch the average person, but the threat is real. Demystifying them is the most important step and this accessible explanation covers all the bases.
