National Computer Security Day 2022: Why is Cyber Security Day celebrated on November 30?

On November 30, there is an annual celebration known as National Computer Security Day. The day serves as a reminder to be vigilant about the growing threat of cyberattacks.

Why is National Computer Security Day observed on November 30?

When Computer Security Day was first observed in 1988, computers were just starting to become widely used, even though they weren't yet pervasive in homes. In addition to increased computer use, particularly in business and government, the 1980s also saw the beginnings of the internet.

According to reports, Cornell University researchers discovered an unidentified virus hiding in their computer systems on November 2, 1988. The "Morris worm" virus infected the ARPANET, a precursor to today's internet, and several other university systems within four hours of its discovery.

Six days later, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the United States recommended creating a "National Computer Infection Action Team" (NCAT) to respond to these kinds of attacks around-the-clock. The Computer Emergency Response Team was established on November 14 by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), a research institute affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University (CERT).

The Washington, D.C. chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) Special Interest Group on Security, Audit, and Control created National Computer Security Day in 1988 as a way to spread awareness of computer viruses and crimes. In particular, November 30 was chosen as Computer Security Day in order to maintain high awareness of computer security during the busy holiday shopping season, when people are frequently more preoccupied with avoiding security threats. The National Cyber Awareness System was established in 2003 as a result of a collaboration between CERT and the US Department of Homeland Security.

These days, electronic devices like computers, tablets, and smartphones play a significant role in our daily lives. Although technology has made communication easier and more effective than ever before, it has also given rise to new worries about security and privacy. Even a holiday, appropriately named Computer Security Day, is devoted to protecting your online data.

National Computer Security Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to remind ourselves to safeguard our computers in order to protect the assets, instruments, and data they contain.