Travelers have been warned of the dangers of public USB charging stations.
Officials in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office advised to be aware where you plug your phone in, as it could lead to hackers obtaining access to your personal information.
When you charge your phone in public area, you should be aware that the port you have plugged it into could secretly transfer malware onto your phone.
The latest official advice on this debate comes from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which has cautioned that “criminals load malware onto charging stations or cables they leave plugged in.point 293 |
” The “dangerous” malware, the officials say, “may infect the phones and other electronic devices of unsuspecting users.point 111 | ”point 114 | 1
Hackers get the personal information of your phone via the USB port by using their own devices, laptops or phones to send malware programs into the hardware of the public charging point.
You might not be aware of it that you are passing your details onto someone else. Los Angeles County District Attorney warned to avoid using public USB charging stations at airports and other locations.
They wrote: “Avoid using public USB charging stations at airports and other locations. Deputy District Attorney Luke Sisak explains how the “juice jacking” scam works.”
If your phone battery drains fast and you need to charge it immediately then buy portable charger packs and use them to avoid using public USB outlet.
The guidance from the LADA reads: “Travelers should avoid using public USB power charging stations in airports, hotels and other locations because they may contain dangerous malware.
“In the USB Charger Scam, often called ‘juice jacking’, criminals load malware onto charging stations or cables they leave plugged in at the stations so they may infect the phones and other electronic devices of unsuspecting users.
“The malware may lock the device or export data and passwords directly to the scammer.”
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