‘Turn your phone off’: Albanese’s hacker warning

Anthony Albanese has delivered a stark warning, telling Aussies to “turn their phones off” in an attempt to avoid danger.

‘Turn your phone off’: Mr Albanese’s stark warning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Anthony Albanese has delivered a stark warning, telling Aussies to “turn their phones off” in a bid to avoid hackers.

The Prime Minister delivered the warning last week while announcing Australia’s first national cybersecurity co-ordinator, Royal Australian Air Force Air Commander Australia Darren Goldie.

“We need to mobilise the private sector. We need to mobilise, as well, consumers,” Mr Albanese told reporters.

“We all have a responsibility. Simple things, turn your phone off every night for five minutes. For people watching this, do that every 24 hours. Do it while you’re brushing your teeth or whatever you’re doing.”

Anthony Albanese delivered a stark message amid soaring cybercrime. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

While a daily reboot may seem like a basic measure, it can do wonders for keeping cybercriminals off your device.

Often, applications and processes are running in the background of your phone or computer, even when you’re not using it.

If a bad actor gains access to those apps and processes, they can begin to monitor you and collect your data, including by accessing financial information and identification documents, or even taking control of your webcam or phone camera.

Rebooting your phone forcibly closes any applications and processes that are running in the background, effectively booting out anyone who may be tracking your movements virtually.

Rebooting your phone forcibly helps to boot out anyone that may be tracking your movements.

Priyadarsi Nanda, an expert in cybersecurity at the University of Technology Sydney, agreed with Mr Albanese’s advice.

“Given how much we use smartphones in our lives, we know of cases where people haven’t turned their phones off in an entire year,” Dr Nanda told The Guardian.

“If there’s a process running from the adversarial side, turning off the phone breaks the chain. Even if it’s only for the time the phone is off, it certainly frustrates the potential hacker.

“It may not fully protect you, but (rebooting) can make things more difficult (for hackers).”

It’s important to note that the measure doesn’t protect against all kinds of cybercrime. If your password has been stolen or you’re being strategically and repeatedly targeted, for instance, it’s unlikely to ward off the most persistent of hackers.