“Take Control of Security for Mac Users” Streaming in TidBITS

Are you concerned about credit card fraud, hacking, identity theft, or online shopping and banking risks? If so, you’re in good company — these modern-day crimes rank at the top of security concerns in numerous surveys. Malware, phishing, Wi-Fi sniffing, and other dangers may also face you as you use your Mac. But none of this means you need to lock down your digital life to maintain a basic level of security — that would be akin to refusing to set foot outdoors for fear of being mugged. With some common sense and appropriate precautions, you can minimize both the risks and the harm that could befall you, your Mac, and your data.

So we have a treat for you, starting this week. Our best-selling Take Control author, Joe Kissell, is working on a new book called “Take Control of Security for Mac Users.” It’s a calm, friendly look at the topic, designed carefully to provide sensible recommendations for increasing your security without causing undue inconvenience.

To get this information out more quickly and in easily digestible chunks, we’re going to be streaming this book in TidBITS, chapter by chapter, over the next few months. We’ve taken this “chapticle” approach successfully with three books so far: Jeff Carlson’s “Take Control of Your Digital Photos on a Mac,” Josh Centers’s “Take Control of Apple TV,” and Charles Edge’s “Take Control of OS X Server” (which we’re just about to release in a Yosemite Server-updated version). As with the others, “Take Control of Security for Mac Users” will be
available for sale in PDF, EPUB, and Mobipocket formats for everyone once it’s done.

Everyone can (and should!) read Chapter 1, “Introducing Mac Security” and Chapter 2, “Learn Security Basics” — they’re available now. Starting next week, we’ll post Chapter 3, “Perform Quick Security Fixes” for TidBITS members, so if you want to read and comment on it and subsequent chapters, you’ll need to join the TidBITS membership program. It’s a great way to help us keep bringing you top-notch content and learn more about Mac security in the process. Other benefits of TidBITS membership include a 30 percent discount on all Take Control books and discounts on leading Mac apps, a full-text RSS feed, and a banner ad-free
version of the TidBITS Web site.

The full table of contents is:

• Chapter 1: Introducing Mac Security
• Chapter 2: Learn Security Basics
• Chapter 3: Perform Quick Security Fixes
• Chapter 4: Beef Up Your System Settings
• Chapter 5: Improve Your Passwords
• Chapter 6: Improve Your Network Security
• Chapter 7: Fortify Your Mac’s Defenses
• Chapter 8: Surf the Web Safely
• Chapter 9: Manage iCloud Security
• Chapter 10: Prevent Data Loss and Theft
• Chapter 11: Keep Personal Data Private
• Chapter 12: Recover from a Disaster

So please, take a look at the first few chapticles and let us know what you think in the comments!