National Computer Security Day 2026

Start with current security guidance

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre recommends practical actions including protecting email, installing updates, enabling two-step verification, managing passwords and backing up important data.

• Protect your main email account. Use a strong password that is different from your other accounts, and enable two-step verification where available.
• Review password management. A password manager can help create and store different passwords. Do not reuse an important account’s password elsewhere.
• Install updates. Check operating-system and app updates, and use automatic updates where appropriate.
• Check your backup. Identify which important files are included and whether you could recover them if the original device stopped working.

Should I change every password today?

No routine calendar change is needed simply because it is Computer Security Day. The NCSC’s password-policy guidance advises system owners against enforced regular password expiry. A password that is compromised, reused or otherwise insecure needs attention; that is different from changing a strong, unique password just because a date has arrived.

A short session for a team

Ask staff to find the correct route for reporting a suspicious message or a lost device. Check that the instructions are easy to locate and identify someone to update them if needed. Use a fictional example rather than testing people with their real passwords or asking them to display private account settings.

Record one action, who owns it and when it will be checked. Keep personal-account work private, and follow your organisation’s IT policies for managed devices. A small completed improvement is more useful than a long list nobody has time or authority to carry out.