French Cybersecurity Agency Urges Regular Phone Restarts to thwart Emerging Threats
Paris, France – France’s National Agency for the Security of Facts Systems (ANSSI) is advising citizens to routinely power off and on their smartphones as a critical defense against increasingly refined cyberattacks, including those leveraging fraudulent Wi-Fi hotspots and pre-installed applications. The proposal, detailed in a recent report, underscores a growing concern over mobile device security and the ease with which attackers can compromise personal data.
The ANSSI report highlights the rising threat of “fake Wi-Fi hotspots” used in social engineering attacks to trick users into connecting to malicious networks. These networks can be used to collect identifiers,redirect users to phishing pages,or inject malicious code,possibly compromising the phone. A malicious actor, according to ANSSI, “can position themselves between the user and the Wi-Fi hotspot to intercept, modify, and retrieve sensitive information.”
To mitigate this risk, the agency strongly recommends “completely disable” the Wi-Fi interface when not in use, noting that simply disconnecting from a network via the control center doesn’t fully deactivate the interface on iOS devices. Beyond Wi-Fi, ANSSI also advises disabling Bluetooth when not in use and even deactivating pre-installed messaging apps if they aren’t actively used, as these represent a “privileged initial vector for attackers.”
The report further stresses the importance of applying system updates as soon as they become available and avoiding public Wi-Fi networks whenever possible. When public Wi-Fi is essential, the agency recommends utilizing a Virtual private Network (VPN) to encrypt data transmission.
Individuals who receive threat notifications – via email, SMS, or from security solution providers – regarding potential account or device compromises are urged not to handle their phone and to immediately contact CERT-FR, the French national computer emergency response team, at [email protected] or by phone at 3218 (free service + price of a call) or +33 (0) 9 70 83 32 18.
