When you need to charge your cellphone in public, you could be plugging in to a scam.
Public charging kiosks have become havens for hackers.
Because the cable used to charge your battery is the same cable you use to transfer and sync data, the hack can occur when your phone pairs with a computer concealed within the charging kiosk, and the hacker can then suck all of your data right out of your phone or download malicious code onto your device. It's called juice-jacking, and no smartphone is safe.
“At worst they've put malware into your device, and that malware could turn your device into a transmitter, which means any time that you log onto a website, you are transmitting that information to a hacker or a scammer,” CyberScout founder and Chairman Adam Levin said.
Here are four tips for charging safely in public:
- Use the supplied power cord that plugs into a regular electrical outlet.
- Battery-powered mobile charging devices work well and are available in many airports.
- If you have to use a public kiosk, the safest option is to completely power off the device before plugging in.
- Lock your phone. When it's locked and not accessible without your code, your phone most likely will not pair with the kiosk's charging station, but there's no guarantee.
