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.
