The Basics of Cyber Safety: Computer and Mobile Device Safety Made Easy

“I would definitely recommend it as a gift for kids and youngsters and new Internet and computer users, as they will learn not just about keeping themselves and their devices secure, but also about the things they can expect to find online.” —Help Net Security, The Basics of Cyber Safety

John Sammons is an Associate Professor and Director of the undergraduate program in Digital Forensics and Information Assurance at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. John teaches digital forensics, electronic discovery, information security and technology in the School of Forensic and Criminal Justices Sciences. He’s also adjunct faculty with the Marshall University graduate forensic science program where he teaches the advanced digital forensics course. John, a former police officer, is also an Investigator with the Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and a member of the West Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He is a Member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the High Technology Crime Investigation Association, and Infragard.

John is the founder and President of the Appalachian Institute of Digital Evidence. AIDE is a non-profit organization that provides research and training for digital evidence professionals including attorneys, judges, law enforcement and information security practitioners in the private sector. He is the author of best-selling book, The Basics of Digital Forensics published by Syngress.

Michael Cross is a SharePoint Administrator and Developer, and has worked in the areas of software development, Web design, hardware installation/repairs, database administration, graphic design, and network administration. Working for law enforcement, he is part of an Information Technology team that provides support to over 1,000 civilian and uniformed users. His theory is that when the users carry guns, you tend to be more motivated in solving their problems.

Michael has a diverse background in technology. He was the first computer forensic analyst for a local police service, and performed digital forensic examinations on computers involved in criminal investigations. Over five years, he recovered and examined evidence involved in a wide range of crimes, inclusive to homicides, fraud, and possession of child pornography. In addition to this, he successfully tracked numerous individuals electronically, as in cases involving threatening e-mail. He has consulted and assisted in numerous cases dealing with computer-related/Internet crimes and served as an expert witness on computers for criminal trials. In 2007, he was awarded a Police Commendation for work he did in developing a system to track local high-risk offenders and sexual offenders.

With extensive experience in Web design and Internet-related technologies, Michael has created and maintained numerous Web sites and implementations of Microsoft SharePoint. This has included public Web sites, private ones on corporate intranets, and solutions that integrate them. In doing so, he has incorporated and promoted social networking features, created software to publish press releases online, and developed a wide variety of solutions that make it easier to get work done.

Michael has been a freelance writer and technical editor on over four dozen I.T. related books, as well as writing material for other genres. He previously taught as an instructor and has written courseware for IT training courses. He has also made presentations on Internet safety, SharePoint and other topics related to computers and the Internet. Despite his experience as a speaker, he still finds his wife won’t listen to him.

Over the years, Michael has acquired a number of certifications from Microsoft, Novell and Comptia, including MCSE, MCP+I, CNA, Network+. When he isn’t writing or otherwise attached to a computer, he spends as much time as possible with the joys of his life: his lovely wife, Jennifer; darling daughter Sara; adorable daughter Emily; and charming son Jason.

For the latest information on him, his projects, and a variety of other topics, you can follow him on Twitter @mybinarydreams, visit his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mybinarydreams, follow him on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/mcross1, or read his blog at http://mybinarydreams.wordpress.com.