Even the NSA Recommends Rebooting Your Devices, But Not for the Reason You Suspect

Rebooting your device presents several benefits. If you ever experience an issue with your device, rebooting it will likely improve it. Heck, even the National Security Agency (NSA) recommends you do this… but why?

Today, we’ll explore why the NSA recommends this practice and some of the many ways it can contribute to a better-operating device.

The Popularity of Mobile Devices Makes Them a Critical Target

Mobile devices make modern life more convenient and manageable—no ifs, ands, or buts about it–but when everyone has a mobile device, it becomes a potential vector for cyberattacks.

Since mobile devices are everywhere, hackers and scammers can safely assume their victims have these devices, giving them more opportunities to strike. Furthermore, since mobile devices are used by everyone—including those who might have limited technological knowledge—their security measures are designed with simplicity and straightforwardness in mind.

In 2020, the NSA released a guide to mobile device security best practices.

Here’s What the Guide Recommends

Sure enough, there’s a recommendation from the NSA that you should power the device off and on every week.

“Recommended” and “necessary” are two different terms, though. Rebooting a device helps to protect it from non-persistent malware, which cannot survive a device restart. Reboots will not solve all of your problems, but they can solve several of them and reduce your vulnerability to a certain extent.

It doesn’t hurt that a reboot can improve device performance, too!

Restart Your Device Every So Often

For more tips and best practices to keep your devices running smoothly, be sure to contact us at 607.433.2200.