“Warning: Using a USB to charge your cell phone could put your data at risk”
When our cell phone battery is very low, it is common for us to look for energy sources to help us recharge our device. However, if you can’t find any connection other than the computer or any device that has a USB port, think twice before connecting it, we are going to tell you why.
The USB to charge our cell phone can be of great help in those moments of emergency but, believe it or not, it can have serious consequences if it is a connection used by many people.
It is common for us to connect our cell phone to a USB port either to charge the battery or to transfer information such as photos or documents from one device to another. But it is important that you know that if you connect your phone to a public port, used by many people, for example, the one available at an airport, it could affect your equipment and information.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), if you plug your electronic device into charging stations with free USB ports, you could become a victim of “juice jacking,” a cybertheft technique.
But how exactly does juice jacking work? According to Infosecurity Mexico, it consists of replacing USB charging ports with “modified versions capable of sending malware to devices once they are connected.”
When you plug in your device, you usually do so with the intention of recharging the battery. But something that is often unknown is that the USB standard is designed to transmit electricity and data. Public charging stations or computers used by many people can be tools for cybercriminals looking to steal your data or distribute malware.
The above is highly dangerous taking into account that currently our cell phone is not only an electronic device, it is where we store important passwords, credit card data, personal information, photos, videos, documents, contacts of our family and friends, among many others.
Infosecurity Mexico tells us that even the FBI has warned the population about the dangers of juice jacking, so it is best to be safe and not sorry.
Infosecurity México offers us some tips to avoid juice jacking:
-Avoid using public charging stations that offer USB ports. If you are going to use public power stations, it is better to use your own charging adapters and cables to connect your devices.
-It is best that you get your own portable battery, this way you will avoid any connection to some public station.
-Do not use someone else’s computer to charge your mobile devices, much less one that is for public use.
-Use a USB data lock key, this will help you disable data transfer.
The recommendation in this type of situation is to avoid using devices that are not ours since we do not know the dangers to which we could be exposed.