Lowe Jr - Safe computing is like safe sex: you have to practice it to avoid infection

Richard G Lowe, Jr

You have to practice it to avoid infection

www.leave-me-alone.com

Published by The Writing King
www.thewritingking.com

Copyright 2015 by Richard G Lowe Jr. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests write to the author at the address below.

Richard G Lowe Jr, 340 South Lemon Avenue #5029N, Walnut, CA 91789
http://www.leave-me-alone.com/ and http://www.thewritingking.com/

Published by Richard G Lowe Jr at Smashwords
Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within.

ISBN: 978-1-943517-00-8 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-943517-01-5 (eBook)

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is focused on the Microsoft Windows operating system. Many of the concepts described within, especially best practices, pertain to all operating systems. I plan to publish future books in the series about MAC OS X, Android and IOS.

There are many links to products and services within this book. Because I feel it would be a conflict of interest to earn money for recommending a product, there are no affiliate links within this volume. I will not receive any form of compensation if and when you purchase products that I recommended.

If youd like more information about computer security, visit the Home Computer Security blog. I regularly post short articles about home computer security issues. You are invited to comment upon those posts; I welcome your input.

http://www.leave-me-alone.com/

Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter by entering your email in the subscription box at the top of the website. By doing so, youll receive timely information about security and tips on how to keep your computer safe.

Please feel free to send an email with any questions or comments. I will try to respond to email messages as quickly as possible.

If you found this book to be of value, please do take a few minutes to leave a review on Amazon telling future readers how you benefited. A good review is highly appreciated and helpful.

Some of the URLs in this book are very long and obscure. Ive included a short URL using the Google Short URL service with each one. This shortened URL will automatically be expanded to the longer version. In addition, each URL includes a QR code, which you can scan with your mobile phone or tablet to retrieve the exact URL.

Many people throughout my career influenced me to write this book. As with everything in life, without the help, kindness, and understanding of others I would not be in the position I am today.

I would like to thank Mr. Henry James, my college professor who started me on the path towards a career in the computer industry. He helped me uncover my hidden talent and love for computing. He granted me the key to the world of design, analysis, and programming, and because of him I began my long climb to a successful and lucrative career.

Also, I owe Steve Davis a debt of gratitude for his patience and understanding in his role as my supervisor at Software Techniques. Steve took me under his wing and guided me through those difficult early years, inspiring me to continue despite the difficulties and challenges. He was my first mentor, and many of the techniques I learned from him served me well throughout my later career. Steve showed me the value of ethics and integrity because those are part of every fiber of his being.

I also thank my good friend Eli Gonzalez, the president of The Ghost Publishing, for his belief in me as I moved into a new career of professional writing. His knowledge of the art and science of the power of the written word is inspirational to me, and motivated me to put on the cloak and hat of a true professional writer. http://theghostpublishing.com

Jimmy James, my peer during my years at Trader Joes, has been a close friend for the twenty years I worked at that company. We worked together through the good and the bad times, building the computer infrastructure of Trader Joes from nothing into the powerhouse which runs a multi-billion dollar company. Jimmy has been an inspiration to me throughout my tenure and I admire his sense of ethics and his innate understanding of computer security.

My sister Belinda and her husband Ken Schmahl deserve my special thanks. They operate and own a charter school, The Schmahl Science Center in San Jose California, and I learned much from their example of the value of hard work and dedication. They helped many students over the decades and stand not only as a shining example to me, but to their entire community. http://www.newprod.schmahlscience.org/

Ken Cureton has been my friend and colleague for years, through the good times and the bad. He has remained one of my closest friends for all these years. This man has strongly influenced my life with his sense of humor, honor and integrity, and his incredible intelligence that he has put to good use.

I would also like to thank Steve Levinson, the Managing Director at Online Business Systems. For many years Steve led Jimmy and I through the potential minefield of PCI compliance (the set of rules that must be followed to ensure credit card data is secure.) With his understanding of not just the rules, but the meaning behind the rules, we passed the PCI audit every single year.

Retrosleep, a freelance artist, created the cartoon graphics for this book. You may find him at https://www.fiverr.com/retrosleep .

The cover art for this book was designed and created by Crownzgraphics at .

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/steve-levinson/0/904/217

For over a decade, Richard and I worked together to ensure that Trader Joes adequately protected credit card data from hackers and criminals. It was a pleasure to work with Richard as he was always extremely conscious of the need for security. He was usually on the same page as me and Jimmy James, the Director of Networking.

Each year my team and I performed Trader Joes PCI (payment card industry) assessment, which was basically an audit of the security controls pertaining to protecting their credit card data. As Managing Director of OBS Globals security consulting practice, and formerly PCI Practice Director for AT&T Consulting, Ive performed hundreds of security assessments/audits. In addition to assessing current state of being, Ive worked closely with our clients to help ensure that theyve created a robust sustainable security program. Richard always had a clear understanding that security is an entity into itself and that it requires constant due diligence and proper care and feeding. Our consulting philosophy is to get to know our customers and their businesses very well so we are in a position to not only measure their security, but to also provide meaningful advice.