Why the PM wants you to turn your phone off every night

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned Australians during the appointment of Australia’s first National Cybersecurity Coordinator. The call by the prime minister for Aussies to be more proactive toward cybersecurity risks comes in response to a surge of data breaches. The prime minister shared that turning your smartphone off for five minutes each day can help stop criminals from collecting data or monitoring their users. 

"We all have a responsibility," he said. "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."

Cybersecurity experts back PM Anthony Albanese’s advice, with Dr. Priyadarsi Nanda, a senior cybersecurity lecturer at the University of Technology in Sydney, telling The Guardian that it can minimise the risk of criminals collecting your data.

“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 and makes things more difficult for a potential hacker.” Nanda says.

You might not realise you have apps running in the background. By forcibly closing any processes or apps running in the background, you minimise the risk of apps that are potentially monitoring their users and collecting their data. 

Our smartphones contain sensitive information like bank details, passwords, and contacts - all desirable information in the eyes of a hacker. Once hackers gain access to a network or a device, they can install malicious software that employs zero-click exploits.

We typically associate scams and hackers with traditional exploits. Think emails with huge text and malicious links, or voicemails from someone pretending to be representative of the ATO. People can typically deduce that these are exploits, and won't engage with or click on any of the suspicious links. Zero-exploits are a bit harder to catch though, as they can infect a device without you knowing, like triggering a missed call notification by an unknown number. 

The best way to protect yourself against zero-click exploits is to update your apps, devices and restart your phone. They thrive on unchecked vulnerabilities in your apps or your operating system, so making sure you keep them updated is a great way to reduce your vulnerability to these attacks.

We also recommend avoiding apps from third-party app stores, as these are more likely to contain exploitable vulnerabilities. 

In a period of widespread digital insecurity, Anthony Albanese recommends we all do our part to ‘mobilise’ smartphone users into being more tech-savvy. While turning your phone off at least once a day is recommended, we should make sure we cover the basics, too.

Make sure you have strong, varied passwords for your accounts, and consider using a password manager. Install any software updates for your device, and keep an eye out for any circulating SMS, email, or phone scams (during tax time, especially). While turning off your phone probably won’t stop cybercriminals altogether, it can make their job more difficult, and make them work harder to steal your data.  

While it seems like a basic measure, experts have agreed that in some circumstances, it can help. If you think you may have been a victim of a scam or data breach, report to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and refer to the Australian Information Commission website.