When a device crashes, the first instinct is to restart it. With a smartphone, it also increases security. In any case, that’s what the NSA advises. Explanations
A few years ago, the famous US NSA published a guide to best practices for smartphones, be it the iPhone or the platform. AndroidAndroid. The intelligence agency recommends turning your smartphone off and on again regularly. But for what reasons? We can imagine that this is for security reasons, since that is the agency’s raison d’être. In fact, phones have become the most preferred target for malicious actors, be it the state or cybercriminals. We remember, for example, the Pegasus affair, the name of SpywareSpywareIt was marketed by Israeli firm NSO. It has allowed its clients, mostly states, to eavesdrop on and spy on the smartphones of many figures around the world, most notably President Macron’s.
But then, how can restarting a smartphone help fight malware? Simply because in reality, today, many malware cannot survive a mobile restart. When they land on a smartphone, they just load. RamRam And hold it. Instead ofThe implantThe implant Malware directly on storage memory, this process avoids leaving traces in case of mobile analysis. That’s right, a priority, The matter of PegasusPegasus.
Very discreet, these malware often come from the so-called “zero-click” family. This means that the victim does not need to interact with the malicious payload to activate it. That is, the user does not have to touch a link or take any action that triggers the bugs. In all cases, this type of threat works by exploiting the vulnerability of others. ApplicationsApplications Or system flaws?
Rebooting can’t hurt
With this type of attack, even a computer security expert won’t be able to detect anything. So a simple restart makes it possible to reduce, or even eliminate, a device vulnerability. But does this operation need to be done every day? Not necessary. Everything will obviously depend on the user’s situation. If the person is known or has classified information, they are more likely to be targeted. But it’s also possible for the common man’s smartphone to be infected with one of these non-persistent malwares in memory.
Without going crazy, a simple restart will fix your mobile anyway. This specifically makes it possible to improve battery life. BoosterBooster A smartphone that has been used a lot and has not properly drained its RAM. In terms of security, if the mobile and its applications are updated regularly, the risks are minimal. Zero-click malware is actually detected very quickly and patches are deployed in record time. GoogleGoogle And Apple.
Strengthening security or not, because it doesn’t really cost anything, you can restart your smartphone once a week, because it has other benefits. Finally, what we can remember above all is that the famous American agency NSA, famous for its spying activities, can give good advice to avoid spying.