shockedcanadian
Diamond Member
- Aug 6, 2012
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I always feared this of public chargers. One wonders about EV chargers as well to some degree. FBI says public phone chargers may put your data at risk: What to know about 'juice jacking'.
“Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices,” FBI Denver wrote in a tweet. “Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers.” Its advice: Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet to power up your device instead.
The alert from the FBI is only the latest instance of government concern over what’s known as “juice jacking,” a cybercrime in which a hacker uses public USB ports to steal data, such as credit card numbers, or install malware on a user’s device. The term is said to date back to 2011, when researchers at DefCon created a charging kiosk that demonstrated the potential cybersecurity risks of such stations. Years later, in a world where our smartphones increasingly function as wallets, GPS, photo albums and an ever-running log of our personal communication and browsing history, accessing someone’s device can be practically as invasive as breaking into their home
“Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices,” FBI Denver wrote in a tweet. “Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers.” Its advice: Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet to power up your device instead.
The alert from the FBI is only the latest instance of government concern over what’s known as “juice jacking,” a cybercrime in which a hacker uses public USB ports to steal data, such as credit card numbers, or install malware on a user’s device. The term is said to date back to 2011, when researchers at DefCon created a charging kiosk that demonstrated the potential cybersecurity risks of such stations. Years later, in a world where our smartphones increasingly function as wallets, GPS, photo albums and an ever-running log of our personal communication and browsing history, accessing someone’s device can be practically as invasive as breaking into their home
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