Public cell phone and tablet charging stations with USB ports can be a risky option worth trying to avoid. The alert is from the FBI that identified spy malware capable of diverting data at these points and suggests alternatives.
In airports, hotels, shopping centers and even in outdoor spaces it is increasingly common to find public access USB ports to charge mobile phones, tablets and other devices electronics compatible with this type of inputs. They are useful, but they can be a risk worth trying to avoid, according to an alert recently released by the FBI.
The US agency indicates that the hackers managed to find a way to make these charging ports a means of transferring malicious software for the equipment connected to them. This malware can be used to monitor affected equipment remotely, or transfer personal information and access passwords to third parties.
The FBI alert was published on Twitter by the Denver Field Office and does not give details on specific locations where this type of malware has been identified, but the fact that an alert was issued is possibly a sign that it was not an isolated situation.
As mentioned in the alert, in view of the need to use a public charging point, it is preferable to use an electrical outlet, which means you should bring an adapter in addition to a USB cable. The Federal Communications Commission, also from the United States, published a note on the same subject, where it also recommends preference for public electrical outlets, versus USB ports, according to the BGR website.
In the FCC recommendations it is added that, who still has to use the USB ports available in public places, you must do so using a cable that only allows the equipment to be charged, thus protecting the inadvertent transfer of data to third parties. You should also always use your own USB cable. Even better is traveling with an extra battery or portable charger, the FCC also says.
The two North American organizations identify the technique of breaking into equipment to install malwarevia USB charging stations such as “juice jacking”.
