Comedy fans may well recognize “have you tried turning it off and on again” from the British sitcom The IT Crowd. But what if the National Security Agency told all smartphone users to do it? And, more to the point, if you follow that advice, will you be safe from malware and spyware in 2024 and beyond?
The NSA Turn It Off And On Again Advice For iPhone And Android Users
The NSA’s original warning was published in a mobile device best practices guide in 2020. If you are having difficulty opening the PDF document the previous link takes you to, then there is an alternative route to the same document that requires a few more clicks available from the NSA press room. With smartphones running across all operating system platforms becoming an increasingly popular target for threat actors of all flavors, the NSA said that “many of the features provide convenience and capability but sacrifice security” and attempted to pin down simple steps that even the most non-technical users could take to better protect their devices and the data stored within. Earlier this year, I reported on the NSA advice, and that article has continued to stir a myriad of responses to this day. I’ve had security experts and smartphone users alike thank me for bringing the warning to their attention and scold me for not going into more detail about what rebooting can’t help protect people from. All of these opinions are valid, of course, and this article is written in the hope of providing more clarification.
Source: Forbes