They ask citizens to activate the 5 minute rule on their mobile phones to avoid a cyber attack

Cybercrime is a threat that affects all smartphone users, whether they handle sensitive information or not. Cybercriminals have turned their attention to mobile phones, since this is where a large amount of personal data, including banking data, is stored. However, users often do not take sufficient precautions when opening suspicious links or downloading potentially dangerous files.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently urged citizens to take a simple but effective measure to protect themselves from cyber attacks: turn off your phone for five minutes a day. This advice, given during his inauguration as national cybersecurity coordinator, is based on a simple principle: As long as a device is turned off, it cannot be hacked or the data stored on it can be accessed.

While the measure has attracted attention in Australia, the US National Security Agency (NSA) has previously recommended regularly rebooting mobile phones to minimize the risk of cyber attacks. While the NSA suggested doing this once a week given the rise in daily cyberattacks, experts advise doing it every night for greater protection.

Turning off your phone for a few minutes or rebooting it every day makes it extremely difficult for cybercriminals. Additionally, closing apps running in the background also improves device security. While many users seem to live in fear of their mobile phones turning off, this small effort could be the key to keeping their data safe.