The FBI says avoid public phone chargers

Over the past years, we’ve seen the “juice up” problem grow at public charging stations for phones and other devices. Now the FBI considers the risks of juice theft to be so high that it is telling Americans completely to avoid using public chargers at airports, hotels, and malls.

As a refresher, juice hacking is when hackers install malicious code in public charging stations to read and steal data from mobile devices as well as track them. While it is more likely to affect Android smartphones than iPhone and iPad, the latter is invincible to such attacks.

spotted before CNBCFBI Share your PSA on Twitter To avoid using free charging stations at airports, hotels or malls.

How to prevent juice bloat

As we’ve covered in the past, the FBI highlights that the safest move is to use your own charger and wall outlet rather than a generic charging bar (which includes its own cables).

Another useful option is to keep a file Portable battery or battery cover With you so you don’t have to worry about plugging in outlets while avoiding public chargers.

For iPhones and iPads, one of the security measures that can prevent juice leakage is “Do you trust this computer?” Prompt when an external device or in this case malicious code tries to access data. However, some unsuspecting users may click Trust out of habit or without thinking about it.

Also, we’ve seen malicious cables like the $180 O.MG Elite that can hack iPhone, Mac, Android, and PC. So it’s safer even for Apple users to stay away from public chargers.

The FBI shares more recommendations in a file Be careful when calling. Web page like Avoid sensitive transactions on public WiFi, keep your devices software up-to-date, and use strong, unique passphrases for online accounts.