IT Security Essentials Guide: How to Protect Your Data and Devices

Everyday online security touches more than a computer: it reaches phones, home networks, personal information and the habits children develop online. Ursula Repas’s IT Security Essentials Guide: How to Protect Your Data and Devices offers a broad introduction to those concerns, moving from familiar cyber threats to practical security topics for home users.

Recognize the risks behind everyday browsing

The guide introduces threats including computer viruses, spyware, phishing, DDoS attacks, hacking, ransomware and Trojan horses. Its overview gives readers a vocabulary for understanding different kinds of online risk and why protecting accounts, devices and information matters.

From personal devices to the home network

Separate sections discuss protecting PCs and smartphones, with topics such as firewalls, software updates, browsers, passwords, public Wi-Fi, backups and encryption. The book also turns to home-network settings, including router credentials, network names and encryption. Together, these chapters widen the view from one device to the connections and settings around it.

Privacy, cloud storage and data protection

Repas addresses privacy measures, GDPR and cloud storage, with discussion of safety, versatility, portability and cost. This section brings together personal-data concerns and the practical considerations involved in storing information online.

Helping children build safer habits

A dedicated chapter considers cybersecurity for children, including conversations about online safety, responsible social-media use, phishing awareness and school information policies. It gives parents and caregivers a starting point for discussing digital risks with younger users.

A visual wrap-up

The bonus section collects ten IT-security infographics on topics such as cloud security, data-loss causes, data-protection strategies, online shopping and banking safety, and cybersecurity trends. These visual summaries add a quick-reference element to the guide’s broad survey.

Published in 2020, this ebook is best approached as an introductory overview of the subjects it covers. Readers looking for a first organized pass through personal cybersecurity and online privacy will find its range of topics especially relevant.