Customers are being cautioned by the FBI not to use public phone charging stations to prevent exposing their devices to malware.
A tweet from the FBI’s Denver office last week claimed that malicious persons were using public USB ports, such as those seen at airports and malls, to spread malicious and monitoring software. The FBI did not offer any particular instances.
The organization said in the tweet to “Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead,”
When a device’s battery gets very low, many people find public charging stations appealing; nonetheless, security professionals have long expressed worries about the risk. To characterize the issue, researchers came up with the term “juice jacking” in 2011.
In 2017, Drew Paik, who was previously employed at security company Authentic8, told CNN that “just by plugging your phone into a [compromised] power strip or charger, your device is now infected, and that compromises all your data.”
Data can be sent from your phone to other devices using the same cord you use in charging your phone. For example, you can transfer images from your iPhone to your computer by connecting it to your Mac via the charging cable.
As Paik previously told CNN, there is no limit to the information that may be stolen by a hacker once a port is hijacked. This applies to all of your contacts, emails, texts, and images.
According to Vikki Migoya, public affairs officer for the FBI’s Denver bureau, “the FBI regularly provides reminders and public service announcements in conjunction with our partners.” Migoya spoke with CNN. “The American public was kindly reminded to exercise caution and safety, particularly when traveling.”
Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission updated a blog post on Tuesday, alerting readers to the possibility that a compromised charging port might enable a hostile actor to lock a device or retrieve passwords and personal information.
The FCC blog post states that “in some cases, criminals may have intentionally left cables plugged in at charging stations. There have even been reports of infected cables being given away as promotional gifts.”
