In today’s highly connected world, smartphones and laptops have become essential for both personal and professional purposes. While OEMs work hard to provide longer battery life, our dependence on these devices is very high. As a result, we often find our devices run out of power and need to be charged often — sometimes more than once a day.
When your smartphone battery is about to die, free public charging stations seem like a godsend, providing enough power to make an important call or send a message. However, despite their convenience, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning against the use of public charging points due to potential security risks.
While the tweet doesn’t provide detailed information on what’s going on behind the scenes, the FBI warns about it bad actors (Hackers read) They found a way to “introduce malware and monitoring software into devices” using the USB ports of public chargers. To avoid these risks, the FBI recommends that users bring their own chargers and USB cables and use electrical outlets instead of public charging stations.
What is jacking jacking?
The technique hackers use to load malware onto your device is called “Juice Jacking”. The FBI has already released a detailed statement for the past year, but is now using its social media platforms to raise awareness about the issue. So what exactly is juice pulling?
Juice grabbing is a form of cyber attack that occurs when a public USB charging station is hacked with malware. Once the device is connected to the hacked charging station, it becomes infected with malware. This type of malware can put your sensitive information at risk, including any important documents, files, photos, and even passwords on your device.
This information can then be used by cybercriminals to gain access to your accounts online or even sold on the dark web. The consequences can be severe, ranging from identity theft to financial loss.
In some cases, hackers may distribute infected cables as promotional gifts, especially in crowded areas such as airports and train stations. They may even leave infected cables plugged into charging stations to increase the possibility that more devices will be infected with malware.
What can you do?
So what can you do? There are a number of safety measures you can take to protect your device from such malware. Here are just a few of them:
- Instead of using the multiple cables that hang from a public charging booth, use your own AC power outlet, charger, and cable. With the best chargers for your iPhone, Samsung, Pixel, or any other device you own, you can make sure that your device won’t get hacked by malware. Additionally, using your own charger may provide benefits such as faster charging times.
- If you often need to charge your devices while on the go, you should consider carrying a power bank. Not only will this protect your device from being hacked, but this can also help you avoid relying on public charging stations altogether. Check out our guide of the best power banks for your devices. On the other hand, if you own an iPhone, you should consider getting one of the best MagSafe power banks out there.
- While most modern smartphones block data transfer when they are first plugged into a USB port, it is still wise to use a USB pass-through device. These disable the data transfer pin and allow only your devices to charge, providing an extra layer of protection.
- Finally, it is important to ensure that your devices are updated with the latest security patches and software updates installed. These updates often address known security vulnerabilities, which can help keep your devices more secure.
The FBI’s tweets are an important reminder that we must take precautions to protect ourselves in today’s digital world. In addition to warning against using public charging stations, the FBI also warns against using public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions, opening suspicious documents or links in emails and texts, and using the same password for multiple accounts.