Being safe on with computers and the Internet is important, but for many the way to be safe is challenging to understand. 

Recently I found in the La Grande Public Library a great book from Cisco Press titled: Home Networking Security Simplified by Jim Doherty and Neil Anderson.  This book does an excellent job helping people become more secure with their computers and the Internet.  Lots of pictures, illustrations and examples of why you need to be concerned are included throughout this 206 page text (again it has lots of pictures). 

The book is geared towards users of Windows XP and has coverage for Linksys routers (this is a Cisco Press book).  The book includes coverage for wireless networks (see note below), virus, spyware, choosing good passwords and other highly useful topics. 

If you use a wireless connection at your home or office, please make sure you are not using WEP (Wired Equivalent Protocol).  In the past few months lots of articles and software have been written that demonstrate how you can break into a wireless network using WEP in less than 60 seconds using common computers and freely available software.  It is actually easier to break your network open than for a legitimate user to type in your WEP key.  So, the take away here, is don't use WEP and use WPA instead.  For assistance, please check with the manufacturer of your wireless equipment to be sure the hardware and software you have supports WPA or can be updated to support WPA.   Since this book was published in July 2006 it does not tell you to avoid using WEP.  Aside from that, the rest of the content is pretty useful.

Another good resource for security tips is the EONI SafetyZone.

Next steps: 
- Check your local book seller as this is a great text to to purchase and have on hand.
- Check your local library or see if interlibrary loan is available.
- Or you can purchase a copy online by clicking the link below: