Expert warns iPhone users to turn their device off once a week

The National Security Agency has issued a warning to all iPhone and Android users.

As of 2022 it was estimated that a whopping 133.4 million individuals in the US owned an Android smartphone, while the number of iPhone users stood at around 118.1 million, as per eMarketer

With the in mind, the NSA have given a key piece of advice that should prove hugely beneficial to smartphone users - and it's pretty straight forward.

The NSA have urged people to turn their devices off and on again at least once a week.

Why, I hear you ask? For security purposes of course.

According to the intelligence agency by doing this it can potentially prevent malware and spyware being uploaded to your device without your knowledge.

"Threats to mobile devices are more prevalent and increasing in scope and complexity," warns the NSA.

It further cautioned that some smartphone features 'provide convenience and capability but sacrifice security', writes Forbes.

The NSA has advised you power down your phone at least once a week. (Getty Stock)

Elsewhere the NSA advises that you generally have your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular services on your phone off if they're not in use as this can also prevent hackers from accessing your personal data.

Neal Ziring, technical director for the NSA's Capabilities Directorate, previously told the AP that rebooting your device could prove beneficial 'since a lot of modern cyberattacks are [a] chain of two, three, or even more vulnerabilities in a row that have to be successfully exploited...you can reset the adversary back to the beginning of that chain and force them to go through the whole thing again', PC Mag reported.

Public Wi-Fi is also a huge no-go in the eyes of the NSA. In fact, the government agency is so passionate about the threats that come with using public Wi-Fi services that it penned a eight-page report on the matter.

It's advised that you don't use public Wi-Fi in places like airports. (Getty Stock)

"Avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi, when possible," part of the 2021 report read. "There is an increased risk when using public Wi-Fi networks. Use a corporate or personal Wi-Fi hotspot with strong authentication and encryption whenever possible, as it will be more secure."

It further warned that 'using these networks may make users’ data and devices more vulnerable to compromise, as cyber actors 'employ malicious access points, redirect to malicious websites, inject malicious proxies, and eavesdrop on network traffic'.

As for what you should be doing with your smartphones (in addition to frequently rebooting your device), the NSA says to keep your software and apps up to date, use anti-virus malware software and also use multi-factor authentication.