I remember back in the late 1990s, when I was at a party, I was asked what I did for a living. Foolishly naïve, I mentioned that I worked on computers and on the Internet. There were polite nods all around, and the subject was quickly changed — after all, back then those who worked with computers and that new-fangled thing called “The Internet” were all geeks with questionable fashion sense, deplorable social skills and little to contribute to society (much less a party). In those halcyon days of Windows 98, Windows 2000 and the first days of Windows XP, computers were relatively common, but not yet an integral part of everyday life. There was no Facebook, no Myspace and Twitter to pull us into social media, no grand thing to draw the average joe into using a computer outside of work day in and day out.
But the times, they sure have changed. Now I am often much more reluctant to disclose that I work with computers and the Internet, because people inevitably implore me to help them with some problem or other… there is a problem with their printer, their Windows machine is taking forever to boot, or they need help fixing an issue with their iPad. Pretty well everyone under the age of 40 is using a computer or a smartphone of some kind, and this lifeline to the larger world has become much more vital to people than it was a decade ago.
And unfortunately, thanks to the proliferation of computing devices, the number of targets available to hackers, crackers and purveyors of digital mayhem have proliferated in kind. Each and every device with a processor inside of it is a potential target, and a person pretty well needs to have a Bachelor’s degree in computer security to be able to properly understand how to lock down a device or computer so that it can be used safely and securely.
That’s where I come in.
One of the most important things that I have always told people is that it’s not their job to learn all about computers and how to set up and/or secure them. They have their own jobs, their own hobbies, their own interests. Many don’t have the time or the inclination to learn all about computers, and that’s why I was paid good money — to leverage my knowledge and skill in computers so they don’t have to.
In other words, people should never be ashamed of their lack of computer knowledge, so long as they don’t hold up their ignorance as a badge of honour. We all have our specialties, and this just happens to be one of mine.
Granted, whenever possible I also took the time out to teach my clients about what I was doing with their computer, but that’s only so they can recognize things when they come across them. I always told my clients that it wasn’t important to remember what I taught them, but rather to recognize the difference between the right and the wrong action when presented with the situation again — to go, “hold on, let’s just think about this for a sec”, because they implicitly recognize what is happening rather than ‘blindly going with their gut reaction’ or freezing in indecision like a deer in the headlights.
And it is that latter most issue – people panicking because they don’t know what to do – which is most damaging to them. Because they are faced with a problem that is insurmountable (because they have absolutely no clue what to do), their panic and frustration usually makes them want to avoid computers in the future. This is ultimately counterproductive, because our society is entering a phase were computers are everywhere, where a person’s ability to exist in society and the workforce depends on them being able to properly handle computers… and they are being traumatized away from computers.
I hope to help people to empower themselves in a way that doesn’t leave them swimming in techno-babble and inscrutable computer jargon.
So why am I focusing on only computer security? Because you can easily find a hardware-slinger around every corner. There is undoubtedly a kid on your block who will diagnose and repair any physical issue with your computer and/or network setup for a pizza and a beer. Hardware, while not easy in an every-man sense, is a lot easier than Software. So if your printer is not working or your iPhone screen is cracked or your video card just burnt out, this is not the site to turn to.
Computer security, on the other hand, is a quickly moving target; changing on an almost daily basis. While a burnt out video card is much the same issue whether it is on a Mac or a PC, the same cannot be said about the threats that attack these platforms. It has been my experience that there really aren’t that many people out there that can properly secure a machine with a high degree of efficiency and knowledge. As well, I have not come across a site that tries to help the “average Joe” in trying to understand how to protect themselves much beyond a few platitudes about keeping their antivirus up to date.
It is time that this changes.
I am hoping to achieve a few basic objectives with this site:
- To make you aware of the latest threats in “common English”, including ways of determining if you are infected or not.
- If possible, to include with the threat descriptions some instructions for how to remove and/or avoid the threat.
- To describe how to implement and maintain security on your computing devices, from system and program configuration to the configuration of third-party products.
- To provide impartial reviews of third-party security products.
- To flag as clearly as possible any personal opinion or conflicts of interest.
- To keep all descriptions simple and short, so that they can be easily read and understood.
- To post on a regular basis, with a goal of at least one every seven days (there is enough content out there for me to post daily, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves right away).
If you have any questions or inquiries, please never hesitate to use the contact form at the top. Feel free to make me aware of any news articles you come across that appear to be security-related, as I hope to start up a sidebar with links to other sites; in addition to informing me of something I may have missed, your contribution will help others as well.
