Cyber Defense: Best Practices for Digital Safety

Practical and theoretical guide to understanding cyber hygiene, equipping readers with the tools to implement and maintain digital security practices

Cyber Defense is a comprehensive guide that provides an in-depth exploration of essential practices to secure one’s digital life. The book begins with an introduction to cyber hygiene, emphasizing its importance and the foundational concepts necessary for maintaining digital security. It then dives into financial security, detailing methods for protecting financial accounts, monitoring transactions, and compartmentalizing accounts to minimize risks. Password management and multifactor authentication are covered, offering strategies for creating strong passwords, using password managers, and enabling multifactor authentication.

With a discussion on secure internet browsing practices, techniques to avoid phishing attacks, and safe web browsing, this book provides email security guidelines for recognizing scams and securing email accounts. Protecting personal devices is discussed, focusing on smartphones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices, and app store security issues. Home network security is explored, with advice on securing home networks, firewalls, and Wi-Fi settings. Each chapter includes recommendations for success, offering practical steps to mitigate risks.

Topics covered in Cyber Defense include:

• Data protection and privacy, providing insights into encrypting information and managing personal data
• Backup and recovery strategies, including using personal cloud storage services
• Social media safety, highlighting best practices, and the challenges of AI voice and video
• Actionable recommendations on protecting your finances from criminals
• Endpoint protection, ransomware, and malware protection strategies, alongside legal and ethical considerations, including when and how to report cyber incidents to law enforcement

Cyber Defense is an essential guide for anyone, including business owners and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, IT staff and support teams, and students studying cybersecurity, information technology, or related fields.

Jason Edwards, DM, CISSP, is an accomplished cybersecurity leader with extensive experience in the technology, finance, insurance, and energy sectors. Holding a Doctorate in Management, Information Systems, and Technology, Jason specializes in guiding large public and private companies through complex cybersecurity challenges. His career includes leadership roles across the military, insurance, finance, energy, and technology industries. He is a husband, father, former military cyber officer, adjunct professor, avid reader, dog dad, and a popular voice on LinkedIn.