I received this book from the author to read for BookTasters.

In an age where much of life is conducted virtually (especially during the pandemic), this book should be part of everyone’s education. The message of this book is simple, be safe. Doing so is difficult.

Scott Schober runs a highly successful cybersecurity company. Much to his surprise, he has been hacked twice. Explaining how and what he has done to protect himself and his company illustrates the steps we need to take too. For example, people become complacent, even lazy, with passwords. With limited online research, many people can be hacked. While people hate having to memorize passwords for every single website they use, using one password across all sites is dangerous because once your password is hacked, the hacker can access every account you have. Just think of all the things a hacker can add with your password! Bank accounts, credit cards, accounts at stores, Amazon, etc. will all be vulnerable.

Major corporations have been the victims of hacking too. Target and JP Morgan Chase are the two corporations mentioned. How a company handles being hacked is important. If a company fails to alert their customers, the company could face legal action. When they are hacked, we, as customers, became compromised. To protect ourselves, we must be vigilant with all online activities.

Throughout the book, Mr. Schober explains key problems we can encounter when using the internet. It is important to know what to watch for. Don’t be afraid of being overwhelmed with “tech talk”, the concepts in this book are clearly and succinctly explained. This should be mandatory reading for anyone venturing onto the internet. Knowledge keeps us from being victimized. It is terrifying when you find out that someone has used information improperly. If a picture is used inappropriately it is sickening.

There are dangers and scams everywhere on the internet but by following the recommendations in this book, you can minimize your risk of being hacked. I enjoyed learning about the behaviors I have that are making me “hack-able”. I now have a better understanding of the steps I need to take for protection and plan to share these with my family.

Mr. Schrober’s book is clear, understandable, and well written. It uses contemporary examples to explain errors easily made and steps to avoid them. While being a technology book, readers have a glossary and detailed explanations to prevent any confusion. This is an appropriate and necessary book for our time.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Additional thoughts: Someone in our family recently had a picture copied from their Facebook page. It was filtered and adjusted, reposted on the internet. The person that did this also decided it would be good to share the person’s name, family members and other personal details. I wish I had read this book sooner to provide the person with the details necessary to stop this intrusion.

It’s important to stay on top of scams and tricks found on the internet. Don’t bury your head in the sand! If you use technology be careful and don’t give out too much personal information. You don’t want to be hacked!