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It is time to take back control

Practical Paranoia Windows 11 Security Essentials New Edition Released

Practical Paranoia Windows 11 Security Essentials version 6 has just been released! This is a complete rewrite of the best-selling, easiest, and most comprehensive guide to securing your data and communications on your home and office PC. This update includes new...

FBI Says Americans Lost a Record $10.3 Billion to Online Scammers in 2022

As reported in the Wall Street Journal March 14, 2023, the FBI has just announced that in 2022, Americans lost $10.3 billion to online scammers. This is up from $6.9 billion in 2021, although the total number of complaints in 2022 was slightly less than in 2021. The...

Q: What is the Most Secure Browser App?

A: Browsers don’t get “hacked”. But your browser can release information regarding your internet travels. Google has access to all of the sites you visit through Chrome. Google has access to all of the searches you perform through Google Searches. Browser...

Q: What Is the Best Firewall for macOS?

A: Well, before I answer, let us take a step back to discover what a firewall does. WHAT A firewall may be a hardware box located on your network, or software installed on your device. The purpose of a firewall is to block unwanted traffic from entering the network or...

80% of Google Play Store apps Data Privacy Labels are False or Misleading

WHAT According to a Mozilla research paper released February 23, 2023, almost 80% of the apps reviewed on Google Play Store have false or misleading Data Privacy labels. Highlighting the absurdity, both TikTok and Twitter Data Safety labels state they do not share...

Why You Should Be Using a USB Data Blocker

In preparing for a business trip to Boston in the coming weeks I realized a serious cybersecurity vulnerability that is becoming more common at airports, coffee shops, and other locations people tend to congregate and charge their phones and computers. And lucky you,...

Practical Paranoia macOS 13 Online Workshop Now Only $75

Practical Paranoia Online Workshops Our online workshops provide the same Award-Winning Best-In-Class learning experience we have delivered to government, businesses, IT support staff, colleges, and thousands of non-technical users. Do you think learning cyber hygiene...

Q: How Can I Prevent My Email ID From Being Compromised in a Data Breach?

A: Ok, this question wins the "Thoughtful Question of the Week" award. Please forgive my more thoughtful (ie: long-winded) answer. Although you and I may be able to dedicate tremendous time and energy to securing our devices and internet travels, we cannot do much...

Q: How Do I Make a Password That Can’t be Easily Guessed?

A: As with so many things in life, the trick is to craft a proper question!  In the distant past (well, distant in IT terms) hackers would crack passwords by knowing a bit about the user. Things like birthdays, names of loved ones and pets, phone number, character...

GoodRx “Leaked” Your Data to Facebook and Google

As reported in the New York Times on February 1, 2023, GoodRx, the drug discount apps used by millions Americans was found by the Federal Trade Commission of "sharing sensitive personal data on millions of users' prescription medications and illnesses with companies...

The Practical Paranoid makes all of our books available in three formats to best meet your unique needs:

 

  • Paperback. Amazon.com and all Fine Booksellers.

    This is the traditionally published book. Most are 7.5”x9.25” for easy shelving, reading, and carrying. The biggest advantage of paperback is that you can curl up to a warm fire while reading. But we have heard some of our readers like that they can quickly move through the book, write notes, highlight passages, and even dog ear pages.

  • Kindle. Amazon.com.

    The ebook took the market by storm, with Amazon’s Kindle format being the most popular. These are exact replica’s of the paperback editions. You can read a Kindle book on an Amazon reader, any Android or iOS phone or tablet, and macOS and Windows computers. With Kindle books, you can update to the latest book version by deleting the book from your device, and then download the current version from your Kindle Library.

  • Live. Exclusively From The Practical Paranoid.

    The Practical Paranoid has taken the ebook one step further. With our Live editions, you will always have the most current version of the book. Live books are exact pdf replica’s of the paperback editions that are viewed online in a browser. Any device that has Internet and browser capabilities will have full access to Live books without even downloading them.

A Great Step-By-Step Guide You'd be Foolish Not to Follow

This reviewer is a 60+, female, self-trained MAC user currently in OS10.8.1 and getting ready to buy a new MAC with Mavericks OS. I purchased and read Marc’s book cover to cover in preparation for understanding the scope of my commitment to get my new Maverick OS computer set-up in the most optimal way, for my home-use network. I want to get it hardened from the get-go. This was the best forty odd-dollar investment I could have made.

Practical Paranoia for the non-paranoid...


I became a client of Marc’s five or six years ago when I said goodbye to Windows, became a Mac shop and put in an OS X server. So when Marc announced his new book, Practical Paranoia, I didn’t waste any time buying a copy.

The reason is simple, when Marc tells you something, you can take it to the bank.

The book is clean, well organized, designed to be completely accessible for the non-geek, and provides step-by-step screen shots and instructions on how to save yourself from the nightmare of data loss or breach.

Best Book on the Subject


Easy to use – I did about half of the recommendations in under an hour. I’m a writer and I run a business from home. I’m not so technically adept. When I travel, I hate packing up all my equipment and putting things in storage to make sure that, in the unlikely event the house is robbed, all my data is safe and I could easily restart my business from a backup in the cloud. This book is a “paint-by-numbers” approach to security for every aspect of a computer system, from backups to email to encrypting the physical drives.

There’s really nothing else on the subject, unless you want to read technical blogs for days. This book has it all in one place and makes it easy for even a normal person (like me).