FBI Issues Urgent Warning: Avoid Public Charging Stations to Prevent ‘Juice Jacking’ Attacks

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Charging your mobile phone (HP) has become a necessity anywhere and anytime. But who would have thought, the cost of a cell phone could bring about its own disaster.

In fact, the United States Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a strong warning against charging cell phones carefully, especially at free cell phone battery charging facilities (charging stations) public space.

The FBI said that criminals had succeeded in taking over the public utility and were able to infect it with malware. This refers to software that gives hackers access to people’s phones, tablets or computers.

“Avoid using free charging stations at airports, hotels or shopping centers,” CNBC International said in a tweet from FBI Denver, which was announced on Sunday (3/11/2024).

“Criminals have found a way to use public USB ports to install malware and surveillance software onto devices. Bring your own charger and USB cable and use an electric device instead,” he said.

The FBI offers similar guidance on its website for avoiding such public expense resources. However, the magazine did not show any examples of user losses from piracy.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also warned about this “juice jacking” from 2021. At the time the FCC warned that consumer devices with USB cables could be hijacked through software that usernames and passwords could then be siphoned.

“The Commission told consumers to avoid these public facilities,” CNBC International wrote again.

(ppr/ppr)