Nielson S. Discovering Cybersecurity...for the Absolute Beginner 2023

Textbook in PDF format

The contemporary IT landscape is littered with various technologies that vendors claim will “solve” an organization’s cybersecurity challenges. These technologies are powerful and, in the right context, can be very effective. But misunderstood and misused, they either do not provide effective protection or do not protect the right things. This results in unnecessary expenditures, false beliefs of security, and interference with an organization’s mission. This book introduces major technologies that are employed in today’s cybersecurity landscape and the fundamental principles and philosophies behind them. By grasping these core concepts, professionals in every organization are better equipped to know what kind of technology they need, ask the right questions of vendors, and better interface with their CISO and security organization. The book is largely directed at beginners, including non-technical professionals such as policy makers, compliance teams, and business executives. For professionals with no technical training in engineering, computers, or other technology; those who want to know things at a technical level but have no previous background; professionals with a background in policy, compliance, and management; technical professionals without a background in computer security who seek an introduction to security topics; those with a security background who are not familiar with this breadth of technology.
The Psychology of Cybersecurity
Authentication Technology
Authorization Technology
Cryptography Foundations
Core Cryptography Technology
Cryptographic Systems Technologies
Host Security Technology
Classical Network Security Technology
World Wide Web Security
Overlay Security: Email and Social Media
A Binary and Hexadecimal Numbers
B Computers, Data, and Programs
C Computer Communications and Networking