Do you ever plug your phone into public charging stations? You may be a victim of an attack called “juice jacking”. Juicejacking occurs when malicious parties install malware in a public charging station.
When unsuspecting users run low on battery power and plug their phone into a now-infected charging station, malware can be installed on their phone and they can export their personal data from the device.
The FBI recently warned people against using public charging stations.
If you ever plug your phone into a public charging station and it asks for confirmation to allow access, that’s a big warning sign. This is the same prompt when plugging your phone into the computer.
There are ways you can protect yourself. First, avoid using public charging stations. If you must, you can buy an adapter that goes on the end of the charging cord. These types of devices are called Data blockers. They are USB adapters with the data pin removed. Only one cable can charge your device while plugged in.
People also use such adapters in their cars when they want to charge their device, but don’t want the car to immediately detect it and start connecting it to the car’s entertainment system.
Another way to protect yourself is to buy a battery bank that you carry with you. If you’re okay with bulk, you might consider buying a lithium-ion car jumper pack. They are slightly thicker but still portable and have USB ports to charge your device.
The great thing about these devices is that you can also use them for their intended purpose which is to jumpstart your car if your battery dies.
I have one, and it works great!
If you travel a lot and often stay in hotels, you should probably bring one. Charging station. It looks like a thick USB hub that you plug into the wall and charge a bunch of devices at once. Anker is a popular brand of such chargers.
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