The Myths of Security is for anyone interested in computer security, whether it’s a hobby, a profession, or just something yo worry about. By reading this book, you’ll get some insight into what the bad guys do, as well as what the good guys do. You’ll find that good guys often do bad things—things that put everybody at risk. You’ll learn about what’s traditionally been wrong with the industry, and how it’s slowly starting to change.

If you’ve picked up this book, odds are that you care about com-puter security a lot more than the average person. When people outside the computer industry ask me what I do, I get one of three reactions:



  • They give me a disinterested look with some explanation of why they don’t care. Like, “I own a Mac,” or “I let my kids worry about that for me.”
  • They ask something like, “What should I be doing to keep myself safe?”, and when I give them the answer, they change the subject, because they have gotten all the information they ever wanted to know about Internet security.
  • They relate some “horror show” about their computer mal-functions and ask if I can do anything to help.