The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning against the use of free public phone charging stations for smartphones, citing the potential risk of installing viruses on these modules that can infect any device connected to them. These malicious activities have been reported to be most prevalent in airports, hotels, and shopping centers, according to the FBI's Denver headquarters in the United States.
The FBI warns that malware-infected charging stations can install surveillance spyware created by hackers on devices connected to the USB ports. Once the malware is installed, it can infect any device that connects to the station, initiating a silent "juice jacking" attack. This method of cyber-attack can silently acquire personal data, such as passwords, bank account details, credit card numbers, and social media profiles, among others, to be sold or used for further cybercrimes like phishing and data hijacking.
The FBI advises smartphone users to carry their own chargers and USB cables and use a power socket instead of USB ports for charging devices. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also corroborated the FBI's warning, stating that the malware installed on charging stations is introduced through USB ports. The FCC further recommends using a data blocker adapter or portable chargers to protect against such attacks. For Android devices, users can select the "charge only" option to avoid data transfer, while iPhones can also be protected by using a data-blocking adapter.
The message from the FBI is clear: do not trust free public charging stations for your phone. If you must use a public charging station, make sure you take precautions by using a data blocker or portable charger to protect your device from the risk of a juice jacking cyber-attack.
