Easy-peasy PC security

For me, like for many peers of my generation and earlier, embracing the technology of personal computing and the Internet has been a painful learning curve! For those of us in the security profession the problems are doubly complex, we have the new technology to master, along with the security issues.

If you can identify with this position (and you use a Windows system) then ‘A Simple Guide to Security & Privacy on Your PC’ is a must. At £6.99 it’s an excellent investment, it takes little for granted, the content is good and the style is easy to follow. This book not only tells you how to achieve a task, it gives you step-by-step instructions and illustrations.

Part one of the book looks at the issues of sharing a PC. (i.e. with colleagues, spouses or children). Part two is about confidentiality — how to protect your data, hide files and folders and how to access the Internet in anonymity.

For instance, in part two I learnt about ‘file crushers’ which will destroy files, rather than (as delete does) leave them open to recovery the next time your PC goes in for repair! Part three covers how to protect your system from unauthorised access and how to protect yourself and your system while on the Internet. The fourth and final section is devoted to passwords.

Although not written with a security manager in mind specifically, thanks to this book I now understand the principles of good PC security, I have a number of PC security skills and techniques at my disposal, and my confidence in this subject is greatly enhanced.