Essential Computer Security
I have now had a chance to review this book for myself and I have to agree with Al Lukaszewski that this is one of the most important books for people who own computers to read, re-read, and apply. (If the subject wasn't so important I wouldn't have written my own review after having already published Al's).
My Rating: 
Pros
- Covers all of the types of attack that a home user can defend against
- The author's advice is explained exceptionally well
- Covers both Windows and Linux
- Discusses the process of security
- Discusses alternatives applications that can improve security
- Provides details on where to get further information on each topic
Cons
- Does not deal with threats that occur outside of your own system (which you can't do anything about anyway)
- Doesn't cover the privacy issues in some Microsoft products
- The paper the book is printed on could be better.
Description
- First Edition: Copyright 2006
- 279 pages (paperback)
- Published by Syngress Publishing, Inc.
- ISBN 1-59749-114-4
- Authors: Tony Bradley and Harlan Carvey
Review
I don't often give such a high rating in my reviews but the information in this book is so well laid out, so important, and written at just the right level to meet the understanding level of its intended audience that I couldn't possibly give it anything less. This is a must have book for anyone who owns a computer.
The book covers why all computers are at risk and the various actions you can take to defend against attack includeing information on passwords, file systems, viruses, patching, perimeter security (firewalls etc.) email safety, web surfing and privacy, wireless networking, spyware, general maintenance, system recovery, alternatives to Microsoft software and more all written in a way that should be clear to anyone just starting out with computers so that they can understand what the threat is, what they can do to help prevent it, and what to do to recover from it if it does happen to them.
Anyone who doesn't apply the processes described in this book is at risk of attack and probably already has a few hundred nasties hidden away on their computer just waiting for the right time to strike.
More Information from the Publisher
