Five books to make you more security conscious

Last week I read the tragic tale of a houseboy just a little over twenty who murdered his madam and caused the death of her mother. This act while it’s not new in this unsafe modern world sent shock waves across the nation. As the story broke, it showed that he had only been hired for two days when he carried out the nefarious act. Not only was the lady forced to transfer money into an unknown account, the murderer attempted to flee with the lady’s car and was promptly apprehended by vigilante. Clearly our world as we knew it is falling apart.

There are family scammers, murderers in sheep’s clothing in your home, friends ready to betray you at the drop of a hat and taxi driver informants for armed robbers and kidnappers. This is the time to be more circumspect in hiring and to shut up in that taxi as you make your way from the airport. That phone call will not kill you. Today we spend too much time talking, less time listening and even less time strategizing. You cannot be too busy to secure your home, or too busy to observe your new maid for a week before you unleash kidnappers on your children.

That job brings money true, but if you do not have your family anymore, what do you have. In this era where men of God are arranging their own kidnap, even your spouse can be the enemy within. Learn to read signs and develop your inner spy. Everything is no longer as it seems. As you go through life, just be more aware, not paranoid because even paranoia can make you a soft target. Think good thoughts but be ready at all times to protect yourself and your family. Also pray, it gives some mental assurance and keeps you calmer than you ordinary would be under certain circumstances. Here are five books to make you more security conscious. Stay alert!

1. The gift of fear: Survival signals that protect us from violence by Gavin de Becker. This book released in 1997 demonstrates the statistical inevitability of violent crime and instructs readers on how to avoid potentially hostile interactions. This non-fiction book looks at the general indicators of a propensity towards violence. Warning flags include false comradery, excessive charm, unsolicited assistance, unrequested promises, denial of rejection and a tendency to overly inundate with unnecessary details. Identifying these characteristics in advance is how security workers address the threats before they happen. Learn the art to protect yourself.
2. The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This ancient book sets the standard for anyone interested in defensive methods for life, living and war. The lessons are specifically targeted for military forces but can be applied to any individual security officer or any individual interested in security issues. It is all about preparing us for hostile encounter and using ancient Chinese wisdom as basic principles that everyone needs to plan for a hostile encounter. It is the single most influential book on defence idealism and has been the dominant rulebook on these issues in Asia for over two millennia. Tactics in the book include energy conservation, troop organisation and deception of the enemy. Get the strategy. Protect yourself.
3. Social Engineering, the art of human hacking by Christopher Hadnagy. Social Engineering is a term used for how deceitful and criminal minds manipulate you to give them your details from passwords to bank details. It is considered an advance form of fraud using deceitful means to hack the human infrastructure. It introduces you to ways and means in which you divulge personal information willingly and arms you with valuable information on how to deflect this.
4. Verbal Judo, the gentle art of persuasion by George Thompson. This is the best book for ending confrontation through the use of talking. This technique can be used to diffuse hostage situation let alone prevent violence. The kidnappings going on these days can use some of these techniques. A lot of those doing it might prefer to do something else. It’s imperative to stay safe and alive. We do not wish it on our worst enemies. The kidnappers are getting more vicious. Social communication can be created to avert disasters and violence. This involves a sense of mutuality between you and the criminal which will temporarily disable a hostile party which can give time for a sure-fire response. This verbal judo can stall the criminal for days. Be adept at it. It is often used by hostage negotiators. This is an art we must all learn, how to stall the criminal just by talking. It does not always work and you must be quiet if they demand it because some of them are as high as a kite and little triggers can set off violence.
5. The Cuckoo’s Egg; Tracking a spy through the maze of computer espionage by Cliff Still. This is a non-fiction book by astronomer turned Hacker hunter who ended up tracking a hacker in an organisation who was stealing US army and security information and got the attention of the CIA and finally the hacker got caught. Protect your electronic data. Learn about it.
   Stay safe.