The purpose of this book is to provide an average computer user with the knowledge that will help them stay safe while online, as well as help them make privacy choices that work for them. My goal is to explain online threats in terms that don't require a technical background to understand. All techno-speak will be limited, and where it cannot be avoided, I will first be explained in common non-computer terms.
This book should be accessible to anyone with enough computer knowledge to use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, do some online shopping, use google to search for cat videos and pay your bills online, all the important stuff. If you are comfortable doing those things, you are in the core demographic for this book.
While this book was written with a US consumer in mind, this book will be equally applicable all over the world. There may be an occasional inside joke that folks outside the USA won't understand, but that shouldn't detract anything from the book.
What is different about this book is that I'm targeting non-technical folks and I'm explaining the issues and the threats without resulting to scare tactics or threats which seem so prevalent in today's security training. Something called FUD, Fear Uncertainty and Doubt is very prevalent in today information security space. I'm avoiding all FUD in this book.
If I were to summarize this book in a few short bullet points, it would be like this:
- Don't be clicking on links or attachments in strange, unexpected emails
- Don't share your password, like ever
- Do use a password manager for all your password
- Do use long, unpredictable, and unique passwords for every site.
- Do use critical thinking skills and don't be swayed by emotions.
Bjarnason, Siggi: - "Siggi Bjarnason is a seasoned, experienced, and dedicated cybersecurity professional with nearly 25 years in professional computer experience and online expertise that dates back to the early 1990s. Born in Iceland, Siggi spent much of his adult life in Seattle, Washington, where he was located near the development of a ground-breaking form of technology that would revolutionize not only the tech industry but the world as we know it. In the early 1980s, while still a teenager, Siggi began to explore the industry just as a hobby - and by the mid-1990s he had turned that hobby into a profession. You could say that he was a pioneer in the birth of the internet when he worked as a network engineer for Microsoft during its infancy. Siggi has been online communicating and exploring since the mid-1980s, even though the first public web browser wouldn't hit the internet until 1994. As a proven, tested, and successful IT professional, Siggi spent much of his 30 years in the industry in various IT positions, working as a data center technician and network engineer for large internet service providers. Also, his technical abilities extend far beyond simple network engineering. Today, he is well-versed in the areas of automation, tooling, scripting, and even vendor and product selection. Most recently, his career has been immersed in the area of cybersecurity. Since the fall of 2017, he has developed a new approach towards assisting those with limited computer experience in designing a safe, secure, and protective cybersecurity strategy to ensure that they are safe on the web. Siggi's newest venture, InfoSec Help, is specifically designed to offer his technical expertise and his modern approach to cybersecurity to those who may not be fully aware of the types of threats that can plague their systems. From home computers to small businesses to large organizations, Siggi's professionalism, his expertise in cybersecurity and network engineering, and his steadfast dedication to providing his clients with a helping hand to secure their systems - these qualities are what separate him from the pack. Siggi decided to create this new venture when he noticed that a lot of online security training appeared to be focused more on instilling fear and panic than practical advice. Those that did attempt to explain the issues and threats appeared to be using very technical terms that aren't ordinarily understood without special technical training. Siggi believes that his extensive technical background gives him the ability to explain complex concepts in terms that anyone can understand, with no technical knowledge needed. Siggi's first task in this new venture was to write a book on how the average user can stay safe online. You can learn more about this book on our book page. Every day, Siggi's passion for computers is what drives his motivation to continue finding new ways to help folks acclimate themselves with the changing digital landscape. And by assisting people to remain safe online and avoid falling for scams that could damage their systems or their wallets, he can help to pave the way for a safer internet - as a true internet pioneer should. In his free time, Siggi enjoys the simple things in life like listening to music, attending live theater events, or going ballroom dancing. Additionally, Siggi enjoys volunteering for organizations that help the community around him. He is a volunteer for the American Red Cross, Public Health Reserve Corps, and other similar organizations. For Siggi, nothing is more important than finding ways to enjoy life, whether that be through computers, working with others, or listening to his favorite album."
