When is Computer Security Day?

It is observed on November 30 each year.

What is Computer Security Day?

Computer Security Day is an annual observance held every November 30 to raise awareness about cybersecurity and encourage people and organizations to protect their computers, devices, and data from digital threats.

How do people celebrate Computer Security Day?

People update passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and run antivirus scans. The day was launched in 1988, just weeks after the Morris Worm, one of the internet's first major worms, made cybersecurity awareness suddenly urgent.

Computer Security Day — Obscure Holiday Calendar

Overview

Computer Security Day is an annual observance held every November 30 to raise awareness about cybersecurity and encourage better digital hygiene habits, born out of one of the internet's earliest wake-up calls.

Origin and story

The observance was launched in 1988 by the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) Special Interest Group on Security, Audit, and Control.

November 30 was reportedly chosen so that awareness of computer security would stay high during the busy holiday shopping season, when people tend to be more distracted.

Quick facts

DateNovember 30
TypeTech / Awareness
Great forIT teams, Remote workers, Everyone online

Also on this date

Ways to celebrate

Computer Security Day launched just weeks after the internet got its first real demonstration of how fast a piece of out-of-control code could spread.

Born right after the internet's first big scare

The observance was launched in 1988 by the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Security, Audit, and Control. That same year, the "Morris Worm," one of the first major self-replicating programs to spread across the early internet, infected roughly 10% of all connected servers, a genuinely alarming demonstration of how fragile networked computers could be. November 30 itself was reportedly chosen because it falls right before the holiday shopping season, when people tend to be busier, more distracted, and more likely to click something they shouldn't.

From a niche ACM initiative to a global habit

By the early 2000s, major organizations including CERT and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had adopted and amplified the day's cybersecurity message, turning a single professional group's initiative into a broadly recognized awareness day.

Ways to mark the day

Update passwords on accounts you haven't touched in a while.
Turn on multi-factor authentication anywhere you haven't already.
Run a malware/antivirus scan and check for pending security updates.

Helpful resources: National Today, "National Computer Security Day".

Did you know?

The 1988 Morris Worm that shadowed the very first Computer Security Day is now considered one of the first major demonstrations of a computer worm's ability to spread across a network on its own.

Fun facts

The observance was launched in 1988 by the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) Special Interest Group on Security, Audit, and Control.
November 30 was reportedly chosen so that awareness of computer security would stay high during the busy holiday shopping season, when people tend to be more distracted.
Coincidentally, 1988 was also the year of the infamous Morris Worm, one of the first major internet worms, which spread just weeks before the day's debut.
By 2003, organizations like CERT and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had become involved in amplifying the day's cybersecurity awareness message.
Common ways to mark the day include updating passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, running antivirus scans, and educating others about phishing and online threats.

Sources and attribution

Primary source: National Today, "National Computer Security Day".

External links may lead to third-party websites.

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FAQ

When is Computer Security Day?: It is observed on November 30 each year.
What is Computer Security Day?: Computer Security Day is an annual observance held every November 30 to raise awareness about cybersecurity and encourage people and organizations to protect their computers, devices, and data from digital threats.
How do people celebrate Computer Security Day?: People update passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and run antivirus scans. The day was launched in 1988, just weeks after the Morris Worm, one of the internet's first major worms, made cybersecurity awareness suddenly urgent.

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