I have had the opportunity to write (I have written over 30 college textbooks on technology, most of them in the area of cybersecurity), study (my PhD dissertation was on cybersecurity), teach (I have taught at colleges and universities my entire career about technology, networking, and cybersecurity), and research (I have published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles) on the topic of cybersecurity. But I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the average computer user who struggles with how to protect their technology devices. This has helped drive my passion to focus on practical cybersecurity for everyone.
I wrote...
Security Awareness: Applying Practical Security in Your World
By
Mark Ciampa
What is my book about?
Cybersecurity attacks are a major worry for technology users today. Yet cybersecurity defenses are a major puzzle for technology users today. What steps should you take to protect your technology? Which steps are the most important? How do you install software patches? Should you have antivirus software on your mobile device? What does a firewall do? How can you test your computer to know that it is not vulnerable? Knowing how to make and then keep technology devices secure can be a daunting task. This book provides you with the knowledge and tools you need to make your computer and related technology equipment—tablets, laptops, smartphones, and wireless networks—secure. The revised 6th edition will be available Fall 2022.
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The Books I Picked & Why
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
By
Simon Singh
Why this book?
Rarely can a book intertwine the inner workings, history, and applications of something--particularly when that something is a complicated topic like cryptography. But Simon Singh pulls it off with style. The Code Book delves into the history of ciphers, how they have been used, and how they have impacted history, from the 1500s through today. It also explains how these ciphers actually work, using language and illustrations that do not require a PhD in mathematics to understand. You will come away with a greater understanding and appreciation for how cryptography makes us more secure.
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Hash Crack: Password Cracking Manual
By
Joshua Picolet
Why this book?
Passwords: everybody has them and everybody abuses them. Passwords can provide good security, but very few users use passwords correctly in order to take advantage of the protections they provide. The key to our poor implementation of passwords is a complete misunderstanding of how attackers break our passwords. Without this understanding users create weak passwords that are easy to break. Joshua Picolet's book is a reference guide for cracking passwords, but by explaining how to break passwords it also provides valuable information about how to make them strong to protect passwords from attacks. This book provides the proof of why we should treat passwords like our underwear: don't let people see it, change it often, and don't share it with strangers.
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Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II
By
Stephen Budiansky
Why this book?
It is hard to underestimate the significance of code breaking during World War II. Without the work of dedicated mathematicians, linguists, and others the great conflicts such as the Battle of Midway and the German U-boat "wolfpacks" that sank over 13 million tons of Allied supplies could have easily been up for grabs. But due to the codebreakers the balance shifted to the Allies. And what is even equally impressive is that the Axis powers never knew that their encoded messages were being read. Stephen Budiansky traces how the codebreakers pulled off this feat while at the same time often battling within their own ranks about who should decode the message, how the messages should be used, and who should get the credit.
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Seizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-boat Codes, 1939-1943
By
David Kahn
Why this book?
David Kahn explains the most widely-known effort (widely-known today but in complete secrecy then) to decipher messages sent by the Germans using their Enigma machines during World War II. This book looks at the groundbreaking work done by Polish mathematicians in the 1930s, how Enigma machines were rescued from sinking German U-boats, and how Bletchley Park in Britain became the focal point of breaking these transmissions. Much of the book focuses on how Enigma machines, rotors, and codebooks were confiscated from German submarines and surface vessels, and how these were then used to allow the Allies, by the war's end, to read German messages almost as quickly as the Germans could send them.
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The Battle of Midway
By
Craig L. Symonds
Why this book?
Perhaps the best book on the epic World War II Battle of Midway, Craig Symonds brings together all the pieces that became the turning point in the Pacific War. Looking at the leadup to the battle from both the Japanese and American perspectives, Symonds shows how the Japanese, in their typical style, created a battle plan that was overly complicated for its objective. Symonds explains how American Joe Rochefort and his eclectic band (he even had commissioned naval musicians) worked to bend (but not entirely break) the Japanese naval code. This allowed the Allies to surmise Midway as the Japanese target and set in place their own battle plan. Symonds clearly explains how the codebreaking efforts played a huge role in this battle of battles.
