History of National Computer Security Day
The origins of National Computer Security Day trace back to 1988 and the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Security, Audit, and Control. As noted by National Today, those in the Special Interest Group selected Nov. 30 for the event so that they could keep consumers’ attention on computer security during the holidays.
Why Is National Computer Security Day Important?
The purpose of the day is to empower users to take securing their digital presence into their own hands. National Today describes this personal ownership as threefold. First, there’s the notion that users aren’t bystanders in their own computer security. They access their bank accounts, search the web and use social media. They all have their own unique habits for doing these things, some of which might undermine their digital security. So, they can’t expect programmers and web services to totally make up for those habits. Third parties can’t protect users to the same extent that those people can safeguard themselves.
There’s also the fact that users don’t operate in a vacuum. It’s called the world wide web, after all. Everything on the Internet is connected by device type, contacts, networks, industry verticals and other commonalities. (The growing prevalence of software supply chain attacks underscores this point.) An infection in one device or program can compromise other users and/or organizations. In taking their personal security into their own hands, therefore, users can help to protect others.
How Organizations Can Acknowledge National Computer Security Day
Organizations can celebrate National Computer Security Day in various ways. Per CyberTalk, they can arrange a luncheon to share motivational messages and to promote meaningful discussions around computer security with their employees. They can also arrange trivia contests, gamify their cyber security awareness training and conduct regular seminars to educate employees about phishing attacks, as well as to answer their questions about digital threats.
