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The Home Executive's Guide to Computer Security

by Andrew Michael Colarik

184 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1964; ISBN 1-4120-4157-0; US$34.95, C$45.50, EUR28.60, £19.82

Whether you operate a home-based business or bring your company's business home, this book establishes a functional understanding of security, and teaches its application in securing personal computers.

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About the Book      About the Author      Excerpts      Catalogue Information

About the Book

Whether you operate a home-based business or bring your company's business home, this book establishes a functional understanding of security, and teaches its application in securing personal computers in a home environment. It is a guide that takes the reader through the underlying vulnerabilities of computing and illustrates the security mechanisms needed to defend yourself. There truly are some simple solutions to solving complex problems in securing information, and this guide walks you through them.

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About the Author

Real, long lasting security requires expertise. Andrew Colarik has a thorough knowledge of the foundations, architectures, and protocols of computer and Internet fundamentals and their associated vulnerabilities. With over twenty-three (23) years utilizing computerized information systems, Andrew has and continues to provide simple, step by step explanations of the risks businesses face and how to protect systems from computer attacks.

Andrew Colarik was awarded a Ph.D. in Information Systems (Security), and is the holder of a Masters in Business Administration (MIS). The combination of his credentials with over eight years of college teaching, providing training seminars to business, legal, and law enforcement professionals, and over eight years as an independent consultant brings a well balanced insight on key security issues facing organizations today.

Throughout Andrew's career, he has taught management of information systems, multimedia communications, database management, programming languages, application software packages, and business courses. Andrew also continues to provide systems design, network administration, equipment review and selection, troubleshooting, and hands-on training of installed systems for businesses in the financial, manufacturing, and government industries. As a researcher, author, and inventor, Andrew has been published in top-tier security conferences, authored several information security books, and is an inventor of both utility and design patents. The latest of these publications by Andrew include: Managerial Guide to Handling Cyber-Terrorism and Information Warfare (January 2005), Update/Patch Management Systems: A protocol taxonomy with security implications (August 2004), A Secure Patch Management Authority (2003), World Framework for Security Benchmark Changes (May 2003), and An Integrity Mechanism for File Transfer in Communication Networks (May 2002). Additional publications are currently under development as Andrew's ongoing research into the security arena continues.

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Excerpts

PREFACE
Security is an interesting domain that is often left to mystics that dwell in cold, air conditioned rooms that are hidden away from the rest of civilization. Whether the security "expert" comes from a practical background consisting of years of constant troubleshooting of corporate or home computers, or an academic that has established and/or understands the field's foundations and terminology, the field may still be cryptic to most people. The term "expert" has many meanings, but I prefer to look at it in this light. An "expert" is someone who knows one more thing than someone else. Many computer "experts" begin their apprenticeship by reading more than their fair share of books and spending many hours fixing their own or other people's mistakes in the computer arena. The goal of all computer users is to never need one of these "experts" except to prevent a disaster, and hopefully they will not be needed to save us after a disaster.

It is this precise reason that I wrote this book. Most people just do not have the time or inclination to read about security and/or respond to problems with their computer systems. They simply must defer to someone else's judgment and allow that someone to "do" their voodoo. The problem with this approach is that computers are now a critical factor in communication and conducting business. We use them for the simplest of tasks and access large amounts of information through them. We have learned to rely on them despite the fact that they are not reliable in all cases for all purposes.

To help even the most novice of computer users understand what security is and what must be considered in securing a computer, the depth of technical knowledge presented in this book is offered in a manner that allows the general reader to understand what must be secured and what part the individual user plays in keeping their systems secured. The approach presented in this book for protecting a system is intended to be in line with an average computer skill level. An explanation of the underlying security concepts are applied to the various methods that are used to keeping a system safe. In addition, these are presented in a manner that does not scare off a user by forcing them to enter the realm of a skilled security professional while still educating the most novice of users.

The best way to use this book is as a foundation for securing home-based personal computers, and the information contained within. It is a guide that lays the ground work for building an awareness of the weak points in home computing, and thereby creating a starting point for protecting them and yourself from attacks and mishaps. This guide takes the reader through a series of security approaches and provides examples of the various security mechanisms available to home users. More importantly, this book is designed to gradually introduce the reader to a host of simple solutions to complex problems when trying to secure home-based business computers, and as a base of knowledge, allow an individual to continue to secure their systems as the computer industry's products evolve.

For more information, visit Andrew's website at www.AndrewColarik.com.

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Catalogue Information

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