30th November: Computer Security Day

Computers have become prominent for the functioning of organizations and their usage is increasing every day. Today almost every company depends on computers to perform their task and to keep their business running. However, as the dependency increases every year, there is another trend that is increasing parallely. That is none other than the cyber crimes happening worldwide through the computers. So, to address the issue and to raise awareness on computer security, 30th November is being celebrated as “Computer Security Day”.

A day to remind us to secure our computers. Let’s raise awareness together!

When was International Computer Security Day Introduced?

International Computer Security Day was first introduced by the Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) in 1988. This was done after an attack on ARPANET that affected 10% of all the connected computers. In those days,  computers were quite popular in the fields of research, business, government operations, etc. Even in those early years, cybercrimes existed and in fact, cybercriminals took advantage of the network and hardware vulnerabilities.

So, with the steep increase in the usage of computers, the security risks were also growing at a rapid rate, making data security a huge concern. Therefore, the initiation of International Computer Security Day was aimed at raising awareness about various prevalent and emerging computer security issues. This day serves as an important reminder to everyone to focus on strengthening computer security. Also, one should not only focus on the computer but also on all electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, etc.

What is the Significance of Computer Security Day?

With the development of computing technology, cyber threats have evolved too. Since 1988, the necessity of generating security awareness has increased substantially. The inception of Computer Security Day has developed a practice of following security procedures while handling digital devices. The activities pertaining to this day involves cybersecurity awareness to make secure cyberspace and cyber resilient infrastructure. The Computer Security Day is celebrated in all kinds of organizations by discussing and creating awareness about best security practices.

The internet and computers have seamlessly connected all parts of the world. For this reason, it is very important for everyone to stand united against the threats plaguing the cyber world. No matter where they are located or what their activities are, they need to stand united against the threats. In current times, International Computer Security Day signifies the unity of all small and big entities endeavoring to make the online space safe for everyone.

At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security.

– Jodi Rell

How Can One Celebrate International Computer Security Day?

The primary motivation for observing International Computer Security Day is to ensure that your computing devices, such as tablets, smartphones, computers, and other smart devices, are secure along with the data stored on them. 

Here are the top 7 security measures you can implement to celebrate the spirit of this day:

• Use strong passwords: Short and simple passwords are significantly easier to hack, especially if they are only made up of numbers or lowercase letters. To make a strong password, it is advisable to always curate a 9-10 character combination of symbols, numbers, uppercase letters, and lowercase letters.

• Enable two-factor authentication: Having a strong password is not enough sometimes. It’s considerably safer to enable two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication. It adds an extra step or extra layer of security to keep your data safe even if a hacker can guess your password correctly.
• Install a firewall: A firewall is a powerful gatekeeper between the computer and the internet. It blocks unwanted information and people from entering an organization’s computers from the internet. It is recommended that all businesses install a firewall to provide a barrier between your data and cybercriminals.
• Keep up with the latest updates: It is important to keep your system’s software and applications up to date. This activity should be practiced on a regular basis. Updates contain vital security upgrades that help the devices stay protected against known bugs and vulnerabilities.
• Encrypt and back up the data: Cybercriminals are not always looking to steal your information. Sometimes, the end-goal is to encrypt or erase it. So, always encrypt your files and back them up on hard drives, USBs, or online cloud storage.
• Regular VAPT: Conducting vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT) regularly will help you identify any security loopholes in your organization’s IT infrastructure. Identifying vulnerabilities will give information about the necessary measures to be taken to prevent cyber attacks from occurring.
• Educate all employees: Another key aspect of organizational security is to provide all your employees with security awareness training to give them a better understanding of the basics of cyber security. Putting an effective training session in place is the best defense against human error and social engineering attacks. 

Now that we have talked about the significance and celebration of International Computer Security Day, let’s focus on implementing the strongest security measures we can think of to ensure the safety of everyone navigating the virtual world.

Benefits of Computer Security Day

The benefit of celebrating this day is that it allows every organization to work on updating their security policies that are evolving every day. People in general revisit some crucial security practices that need to be followed. Additionally, the organizations get an opportunity to carry out awareness campaigns for their employees so that they learn about cybersecurity practices. Conclusively, the benefits of Computer Security Day are:

• Reduce and eradicate the risk of human error
• Make the employees a strongest line of defense
• Make the organization fulfill their compliance requirements.
• Incorporating the trust of customers
• Always be updated with the latest security requirements.

Cybersecurity Awareness is the Goal of Computer Security Day

Computer Security Day is established as a fundamental procedure to revisit the cybersecurity requirements of the individual and organization. We discussed the top 7 seven security measures in this blog among several other practices that are required to fulfil the objectives of the day. However, one can inculcate such practices only when they have an optimum level of cyber awareness. Without cybersecurity awareness, no one will be able to comprehend the required practices for making themselves and their organizations cyber resilient.

Every organization must pledge to take necessary measures and employ tools & services that could improve and increase the cybersecurity awareness of the employees. They can choose to carry out cybersecurity awareness training for employees to ensure their understanding of attack vectors and follow practices to prevent cyber attacks.

The goal of International Computer Security Day is to make the cyber infrastructure of the organization and individual robust. These infrastructures should be capable enough to prevent breaches and attacks to protect data and information. Nowadays, employees have become an essential ingredient of the cybersecurity framework, who need more focus. And organizations needs to carry out regular security awareness campaign and training to make employees cyber secure. You can employ security awareness training tool to carry out cyber attack simulation and train your employees accordingly.