Books: Put Cybersecurity first

Many small and medium-sized enterprises need a practical resource that covers the basics but also provides deeper coverage of tools available to combat the waves of digital malfeasance. Think Security First! Protecting Your Identity in an Age of Cybercrime by Neal O’Farrell does just that, providing a primer for professionals, especially individuals who work in a small office or home office.

While providing a survey of the top cyber risks we face currently, O’Farrell’s entertaining style keeps the reader engaged. The many scary statistics about the prevalence of electronic thievery are a strong call to action. Various deceptive and unethical actions are described in detail by the author, who has considerable experience in protecting banks, federal agencies, and other organizations. He’s the founder and CEO of Ethicause, which provides data ethics training to combat one of the biggest cyber risks in any organization—gullible employees. He also founded The Identity Theft Council, named for the most prevalent computer-related danger to individuals.

To whet our appetite for cyber-risk mitigation, one scary stat is the fact that more than one million new victims report identity-theft incidents every 30 days. Other little-known facts will prod readers into action, such as the lack of a zero-liability policy for small businesses and debit card fraud from skimming, where thieves get both a card and PIN, giving banks a reason to deny reimbursement to their customers who are victims of cybercrime.

What is included in this resource? The book features:

• Coverage of malware, tax fraud, ransomware, data breaches, password pitfalls, identity theft, organized cybercrime, state-sponsored bad actors, and more cyber threats;
• Lots of practical steps we can take, such as credit freezing, password managers, mobile security, and secure communications with encryption;
• Interviews with convicted online fraudsters and thieves;
• More than 50 free security and privacy tools;
• A personal security checklist; and
• A small business security and privacy checklist.

Readers will likely keep going back to this comprehensive cybersecurity resource for tactics and techniques to mitigate their scariest cybercrime nightmares.