‘Bad actors have figured out ways’: FBI warns not to charge phones at public charging points, here's why

Washington: “Bad actors have figured out ways,” said the FBI as it warned people to avoid using USB charging stations in public spaces including airports, hotels or other travel hubs. The bureau said they could be used to hack into devices and may pose a threat to privacy.

Through its PSA, or public service announcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned about something called juice jacking, which is one of the techniques used by hackers and scammers all over the world to access and steal data from a mobile phone by exploiting the USB charging port.

“Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers. Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices,” FBI’s Denver office tweeted.

It recommended travellers to carry their own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead.

The intelligence agency has also released a similar guidance note on its website to avoid public chargers.

What is juice jacking?

Juice jacking is a technique that is used by hackers and scammers to get an easy access to a users' mobile phone and steal data it by exploiting the USB charging port. It is a kind of a cyberattack and hampers the person's privacy.

How do hackers get mobile data access?

When a person puts his/her device on charge into a public charging station that has been tampered with or compromised, it allows the hacker/scammer to access and steal data or even install malware onto it.

The attacker usually modifies the charging station's USB port by installing a device called a "juice jacking" tool. This tool looks very much similar to a normal charging cable, but the only difference is that it contains a small computer chip that can intercept and manipulate the data flowing between the device and the charging station. The moment a mobile phone or any device is connected to them, the juice jacking tool begins to steal sensitive data including passwords, contacts, pictures, bank account and credit card details from the device or install malware onto it.

How to protect against juice jacking attacks?

The best way is to avoid using public charging stations and carry a portable power bank or charging cable.

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