Cybersecurity All-in-One For Dummies

by Joseph Steinberg, Kevin Beaver, Ira Winkler

Over 700 pages of insight into all things cybersecurity

Cybersecurity All-in-One For Dummies covers a lot of ground in the world of keeping computer systems safe from those who want to break in. This book offers a one-stop resource on cybersecurity basics, personal security, business security, cloud security, security testing, and security awareness. Filled with content to help with both personal and business cybersecurity needs, this book shows you how to lock down your computers, devices, and systems—and explains why doing so is more important now than ever. Dig in for info on what kind of risks are out there, how to protect a variety of devices, strategies for testing your security, securing cloud data, and steps for creating an awareness program in an organization.

Explore the basics of cybersecurity at home and in business Learn how to secure your devices, data, and cloud-based assets Test your security to find holes and vulnerabilities before hackers do Create a culture of cybersecurity throughout an entire organizationThis For Dummies All-in-One is a stellar reference for business owners and IT support pros who need a guide to making smart security choices. Any tech user with concerns about privacy and protection will also love this comprehensive guide.

Genres: Science, Computer Science, Reference, Technology

681 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 4, 2023

Reviews

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a business book on cybersecurity, I was not expecting a direct right-wing bias. The author repeatedly broght up right-wing talking points and gave example of how the right was victimized while ignoring more relevant examples from the left. On a section about storing classified documents securely, he then neglected to mention Trump's theft and extremely insecure storage of thousands of highly classified documents.

“Insecure mail-in ballots as used throughout the United States during the 2020 presidential election aggravated mistrust. And, with voter registration databases stored electronically and sometimes on servers that are at least indirectly connected to the Internet, records may be able to be added, modified, or deleted from halfway across the globe without detection. Even if such hacking is, in reality, impossible, the fact that many citizens today believe that it may be possible has led to an undermining of faith in elections, a phenomenon that we have witnessed in recent years and that has permeated throughout all levels of society. Even Jimmy Carter, a former president of the United States, expressed at one point that he believed that full investigation into the 2016 presidential election would show that Donald Trump lost the election — despite there being absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support such a conclusion, even after a thorough FBI investigation into the matter. Statements and actions from the other side of the political aisle — including the terrible chaos at the U.S. Capitol after the 2020 presidential election — showed clearly that concerns about election integrity, and the perception that elections might be manipulatable through cyberattacks and other technology-based techniques, are bipartisan. It is also not hard to imagine that if online voting were ever to arrive, the potential for vote manipulation by foreign governments, criminals, and even political parties within the nation voting — and for removing the ballot auditability that exists today — would grow astronomically.”

This is not neutral analysis; it is a partisan framing disguised as technical discussion. Steinberg foregrounds speculative, even self-admittedly “impossible,” scenarios about hacked voter databases and uses them to validate “mistrust,” rather than clearly distinguishing between credible threats and unfounded fears. That framing closely tracks right-wing election narratives about mail-in ballots and systemic vulnerability, and he introduces it unprompted in a cybersecurity text as if it were a natural priority rather than a politically loaded choice.

The asymmetry is obvious in how he handles evidence. He goes out of his way to state that Jimmy Carter’s claim about the 2016 election had “absolutely no evidence whatsoever,” explicitly correcting it. Yet he does not apply that same standard to Donald Trump’s repeated claims of a rigged 2020 election, which also had no evidence and were rejected in dozens of court cases. Those claims are not directly named or debunked; instead, they are indirectly legitimised through vague references to “mistrust” and “perception.” That is not an oversight—it is selective scepticism.

The “both sides” framing compounds the problem. By citing the Capitol riot as proof that concerns about election integrity are “bipartisan,” he flattens a situation where one side’s claims were overwhelmingly unsupported and politically motivated. The result is a false equivalence that lends credibility to narratives that have already been thoroughly discredited.

On top of that, for a book that claims to address the security of confidential and classified information (there's a whole section on it), the omission of Donald Trump’s well-documented retention and insecure storage of classified documents is glaring. It is directly relevant, recent, and high-profile, yet completely ignored. That absence, combined with the repeated inclusion of partisan talking points, makes the bias impossible to dismiss as incidental.

“The alleged hackings of the Democratic party email systems by Russian agents during the 2016 Presidential election campaign and the Republican party email system during the 2018 midterm elections are high profiles examples of nation state hacking.”

Calling the 2016 breach “alleged” is a blatant double standard. The Democratic Party hack is heavily documented, yet he hedges it, while incidents affecting the right are presented plainly as fact. That asymmetry is not accidental; it signals a clear bias in what he is willing to treat as real.

“Black hat hackers have evil intent.”

This is amateurish. “Evil” is religious language, not professional terminology. It reduces complex motivations to moral absolutes and makes the book read like a sermon rather than a serious cybersecurity resource.

"Do not, for example, purchase electronics directly from sellers overseas and install unbranded net- working devices that are not certified by any U.S. authorities. Such devices could have poisoned hardware within them."

This assumes a US-centric worldview and uncritically positions US authorities as the standard of trust. That is not credible in a global field, and it is especially tone-deaf given well-documented political interference and institutional failures in the US during the Trump era. Presenting US certification as inherently reliable is not analysis; it is bias.

“Perhaps the greatest example of a mass data leak so far is the 2020 hacking of the American right-wing social media platform, Parler.”

Again, the choice of example is telling. Out of countless major breaches, he singles out one where a right-wing platform is the victim and elevates it as the “greatest” without technical justification. The pattern is consistent: examples are selected to reinforce a narrative where the right is wronged.

Your “sins”
"Anything that is “sin-like” may lead not only to professional or personal harm, but to extortion attempts as well as social engineering of yourself or others depicted in such posts or media. If in doubt, be careful. Something you post that may be questionable today might be considered nothing short of repugnant in the future; old posts cause people personal and professional harm on a regular basis."

More moralising language. Framing user behaviour in terms of “sins” is out of place in a technical book and reinforces the same ideological tone seen elsewhere. It is imprecise and unprofessional.

[Ashraf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cybersecurity All-in-One For Dummies Book Review

"Cybersecurity All-in-One For Dummies" offers comprehensive guidance on safeguarding computer systems against potential intruders. This resource covers cybersecurity basics, personal and business security, cloud security, security testing, and raising security awareness. It provides essential information for both personal and business cybersecurity, showing how to secure computers, devices, and systems, and explaining the increasing importance of these measures. Readers will learn about various risks, protecting different devices, testing security, securing cloud data, and developing an organizational awareness program.
Book Contents:
Book 1: Cybersecurity Basics
* Introduction to cybersecurity
* Common cyberattacks
* Identifying potential attackers
Book 2: Personal Cybersecurity
* Assessing your current cybersecurity
* Enhancing physical security
* Cybersecurity for remote work
* Securing accounts and passwords
* Preventing social engineering attacks
Book 3: Securing a Business
* Small business security
* Cybersecurity for large businesses
* Identifying and recovering from breaches
* Backup and restoration procedures
Book 4: Securing the Cloud
* Cloud security fundamentals
* Business cloud security
* Developing secure software
* Access restriction and zero trust implementation
* Cloud security services
Book 5: Testing Your Security
* Vulnerability and penetration testing
* Understanding the hacker mindset
* Security testing plans
* Hacking methodologies and information gathering
* Social engineering and physical security
Book 6: Enhancing Cybersecurity Awareness
* Security awareness programs
* Creating and implementing a strategy
* Understanding culture and business drivers
* Selecting appropriate tools and measuring performance
* Running and gamifying security awareness programs
Key Takeaways:
* Understand the basics of cybersecurity for personal and business environments
* Learn how to secure devices, data, and cloud assets
* Conduct security tests to identify vulnerabilities
* Foster a culture of cybersecurity across an organization

This comprehensive guide is perfect for business owners, IT professionals, and anyone concerned about privacy and protection, providing a valuable reference for making informed security decisions.
Highly recommended for both novice and professional readers, each will find something to their benefit from reading this book.

[Elsie DiLisio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summary manifesto. Finally, very long.