Anthony Albanese has issued a severe warning, telling Australians to safeguard themselves against escalating cybercrime threats by turning off their mobile devices for at least five minutes every 24 hours.
The PM wants Aussies turning off smart devices to be as habitual as brushing teeth before bed.
It’s everybody’s responsibility to defend themselves and others against cybercrime, said Mr Albanese
The old IT joke about ‘switching it off and switching it back on’ to fix tech issues can be profoundly effective in averting cyberattacks, say tech experts. Constantly running applications and processes in the background of devices provide an opening for cybercriminals to invade privacy and extract personal information, such as financial details, identification documents, or in extreme scenarios, your device’s camera.
Rebooting disrupts these operations, says Dr Priyadarsi Nanda, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Technology Sydney, who supports this recommendation.
It should be noted that this measure doesn’t make your device impervious to all cyber threats. Rebooting won’t necessarily help you in cases of stolen passwords or targeted attacks. Really, this advice is intended to decrease potential cybercrime vulnerability, not eradicate it completely.
How often do you turn off your phone?
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