Summary
Recently, the FBI and FCC have issued or updated warnings regarding an attack called ‘Juice Jacking.’ Malicious actors can get control of a USB charging station and use it to deploy malware to your phone or copy personal information from it. While rare, this method of attack cannot be completely ignored.
Listen
Links
Transcript
If your phone’s battery percentage is dropping, you’d probably be relieved to come across a public charging station. While most of these stations are safe, the FBI and FCC have released a warning regarding these public chargers. Here’s how to keep your phone safe when you charge in public.
For Personal Tech Media, this is Two Minute Tech. I’m Jim Herman.
When you use a public USB charging port, someone could access the data on your device or install malware. While this is a rare attack, it’s not one that you can completely ignore.
Using this type of attack, nicknamed “juice jacking,” an attacker uses the data connection through the charging cable to communicate with your phone while it’s receiving power. Fortunately, Android and iOS both block data connections unless you approve on the device, but that doesn’t necessarily mean an attacker couldn’t find a way around it.
However, if you are using a public USB port and you receive a notification about a data connection, don’t approve it, and unplug your device immediately. A public charging station should never be trying to access data on your phone.
Finally, be aware that this warning only applies to USB ports and not standard power outlets. If you plug your own adapter and cable into a standard power outlet, your phone will remain safe.
If public charging ports are your only option, you could also consider purchasing a USB data blocker, a small device that connects to the end of your cable. This device will block a data connection while allowing power to flow to your phone.