November 30th is Computer Security Day #ComputerSecurityDay #Holiday #SafeShopping

Today is Computer Security Day and its a good reminder to think about the safety of your system. With holiday shopping moving more online you want to make sure you have updated your computer and are using strong passwords.

From Days of the Year:

Computer Security Day began in 1988, around the time that computers were becoming commonplace, even if they were yet to become ubiquitous in homes. The 1980s saw not only increased usage of computers, especially in business and government, and the internet was in its early stages.

While hacking and viruses have virtually been around since the early days of modern computing, evolving and increasingly sophisticated technologies began to see more applications, and therefore more security risks due to the simple fact that more data was at risk as computers found their way into banks, government offices, and businesses.

For some of less obvious security risks, Wired has good article on 7 Cybersecurity Threats That Can Sneak Up on You :

These threats may not have the same high-level profile as an unfixable iOS bug, but they can still do some serious damage as far as your data and privacy goes. Here’s what to look out for, and how to make sure you aren’t caught out.

And for general good practices see Berkeley’s Top 10 Secure Computing Tips:

Tip #1 – You are a target to hackers
Don’t ever say “It won’t happen to me”. We are all at risk and the stakes are high – to your personal and financial well-being, and to the University’s standing and reputation.