What do you think?
Rate this book
How NOT To Use Your Smartphone
If you're new to the world of smartphones and tablets, you might not have given a second thought about how to use your shiny new device safely. Hackers and bad guys are everywhere. They're after your data so they can steal from you and make you a victim of ID theft, credit card fraud, utilities fraud, or worse. But not only can they do this through your PC or laptop, now they can do it all through your iPhone, Android, or Blackberry. Don't let them! Many ID theft attempts occur when you’re away from home and in unfamiliar surroundings. So when you’re visiting that coffee shop with friends, making a trip up town to do some shopping, traveling to London for the 2012 Olympic Games, or vacationing elsewhere this summer, think before you connect to that Wi-Fi network to grab your email. How safe and secure is it? In "How NOT To Use Your Smartphone", computer security expert Rod Cambridge exposes the dangers of smartphone and tablet usage and provides solutions, tips, and advice to keep you one step ahead of the bad guys and help you avoid being hacked through your mobile device.
115 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
42 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 11, 2015
Good writing but did not get beyond 'use a strong password.' Don't buy it.
August 2, 2020
"This book is intended for anyone who owns a smartphone or tablet, or intends on purchasing one soon, who is unsure about the security risks that come with owning and using these powerful devices. If you're already knowledgeable about security threats, this book may not be for you." ~ Rodney D. Cambridge
This brutally honest and absolutely correct preface describes why you should or shouldn't pick up this book.
The book covers every possible topic there is about smartphone and laptop security for the general public. These topics are divided into lessons and have been explained in simple non-computerish lingo to make it easily understandable to everyone, even people from non-technical background. And even if there are some terms you've no idea about, there's a glossary in the end of the book.
Following are the nine important things that the book covers:
1)Helps identity if you've already become a victim of hacking, identity theft or related crimes & tells you the steps to take after that. (This chapter helped me understand why there's so much uproar whenever there's news of data breach of consumers of big companies like facebook.)
2) Travelling tips― the do's and don'ts of travelling with smartphone/laptop.
3) Dangers associated with QR codes, difference between iOS and Android OS and why Android is more vulnerable to cyber attacks.
4)Dangers of installing apps― gives tips on what apps to install, where to install them from and what apps to avoid at all cost.
5) "When installing an app, don't grant it permissions just because it asks you to." Talks about 'nosey' apps who asks for many unnecessary and often suspicious permissions.
6)"If a password is not required, the network is not safe." The lures of public Wifi/hotspots, why it is dangerous & how to be safe while using such hotspots.
7) Staying safe on social networks― talks about oversharing, geotagging, phishing emails and how to identify them without clicking on them & risks of storing data on cloud.
8)Talks about jailbreaking or rooting your phone, the dangers associated with it and tips on how to safely jailbreak.
9)How to create an easy to remember but hard to crack password.
Before reading this ebook, I didn't realize how much at risk I was putting my smartphone on. This book help me identify all the dangers that are out there hunting for a device to prey on. I'm shocked beyond belief how reckless I was with wifi, hotspot, social media― basically everything online. I'll never be able to go back to the way I was after reading this book. And although it's been quite a while this book was written (almost 8 years ago) and a lot has changed technology-wise in these past years, this book still is useful for a person like me who doesn't know two bits about smartphone/laptop security beside setting a strong password. I suggest everyone with a smartphone should read this.
My rating: 3.5/5
This brutally honest and absolutely correct preface describes why you should or shouldn't pick up this book.
The book covers every possible topic there is about smartphone and laptop security for the general public. These topics are divided into lessons and have been explained in simple non-computerish lingo to make it easily understandable to everyone, even people from non-technical background. And even if there are some terms you've no idea about, there's a glossary in the end of the book.
Following are the nine important things that the book covers:
1)Helps identity if you've already become a victim of hacking, identity theft or related crimes & tells you the steps to take after that. (This chapter helped me understand why there's so much uproar whenever there's news of data breach of consumers of big companies like facebook.)
2) Travelling tips― the do's and don'ts of travelling with smartphone/laptop.
3) Dangers associated with QR codes, difference between iOS and Android OS and why Android is more vulnerable to cyber attacks.
4)Dangers of installing apps― gives tips on what apps to install, where to install them from and what apps to avoid at all cost.
5) "When installing an app, don't grant it permissions just because it asks you to." Talks about 'nosey' apps who asks for many unnecessary and often suspicious permissions.
6)"If a password is not required, the network is not safe." The lures of public Wifi/hotspots, why it is dangerous & how to be safe while using such hotspots.
7) Staying safe on social networks― talks about oversharing, geotagging, phishing emails and how to identify them without clicking on them & risks of storing data on cloud.
8)Talks about jailbreaking or rooting your phone, the dangers associated with it and tips on how to safely jailbreak.
9)How to create an easy to remember but hard to crack password.
Before reading this ebook, I didn't realize how much at risk I was putting my smartphone on. This book help me identify all the dangers that are out there hunting for a device to prey on. I'm shocked beyond belief how reckless I was with wifi, hotspot, social media― basically everything online. I'll never be able to go back to the way I was after reading this book. And although it's been quite a while this book was written (almost 8 years ago) and a lot has changed technology-wise in these past years, this book still is useful for a person like me who doesn't know two bits about smartphone/laptop security beside setting a strong password. I suggest everyone with a smartphone should read this.
My rating: 3.5/5
February 23, 2018
Easy to read / comprehend book about being save and smart with smartphones and tablets
The first few pages open with an example of a mistake it feels all too easy to make, or be duped by. From there the author takes the time to walk you through all too possible consequences, highlighting how important taking a moment to think when using your tech devices is.
"This book is intended for anyone who owns a smartphone or tablet, or intends on purchasing one soon, who is unsure about the security risks that come with owning and using these powerful devices. If you're already knowledgeable about security threats, this book may not be for you.". I love that the author includes this very simple assessment of who will benefit most from this book. I plan to share it with some elderly family members who are first time tablet and Kindle owners.
The first few pages open with an example of a mistake it feels all too easy to make, or be duped by. From there the author takes the time to walk you through all too possible consequences, highlighting how important taking a moment to think when using your tech devices is.
"This book is intended for anyone who owns a smartphone or tablet, or intends on purchasing one soon, who is unsure about the security risks that come with owning and using these powerful devices. If you're already knowledgeable about security threats, this book may not be for you.". I love that the author includes this very simple assessment of who will benefit most from this book. I plan to share it with some elderly family members who are first time tablet and Kindle owners.
September 20, 2020
An Essential Primer for the Uninitiated
The book is brief; but not unduly so to make it pointless. The author has gone beyond cursory details, and yet kept the information succinct. Although, the context of the book seems to be set between the years 2003 through to 2011, the guidelines suggested are still applicable in 2020.
However, I do personally think that there is a need for "total internet" security solutions that serve as anti-virus and anti-malware platforms besides also offering a range of features. The author, too, suggests guarding against trojans.
But he is lukewarm to the idea of anti-virus for mobiles. Perhaps, from his point of view and considering the period during which the book has been written, that is understandable. It is also probably true to this day.
Overall, the book is thoroughly entertaining and informative at the same time.
The book is brief; but not unduly so to make it pointless. The author has gone beyond cursory details, and yet kept the information succinct. Although, the context of the book seems to be set between the years 2003 through to 2011, the guidelines suggested are still applicable in 2020.
However, I do personally think that there is a need for "total internet" security solutions that serve as anti-virus and anti-malware platforms besides also offering a range of features. The author, too, suggests guarding against trojans.
But he is lukewarm to the idea of anti-virus for mobiles. Perhaps, from his point of view and considering the period during which the book has been written, that is understandable. It is also probably true to this day.
Overall, the book is thoroughly entertaining and informative at the same time.
March 4, 2018
Nice book
It has helped me to understand abc of safe mobile usage! Thanks to author! It is must read for everyone .
It has helped me to understand abc of safe mobile usage! Thanks to author! It is must read for everyone .
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews