The Federal Bureau of Investigation warns against using public phone charging stations.

High risk of data leakage

Recently, the Denver branch of the FBI issued a warning about the risks of data leakage, privacy and security of personal information from charging phones at public USB charging stations in shopping centers and airports. According to the authorities, public charging stations can be infected with viruses when bad actors spread malware and surveillance software.

“ Bring your own charger and USB cable and use an alternative power outlet,” the FBI stressed.

While public charging stations provide a convenient source of power when you don't have a personal charger available or are in an area without a power source, security experts have raised a number of concerns about the risks. In 2011, researchers coined the term "juice jacking" to describe the problem.

Risk of data leakage, privacy and security of personal information from charging phones at public charging stations. (Photo: CNN)

Drew Paik, an expert at Authentic8 Security Company, explained that this is a common cyber attack technique in which hackers install malware on mobile devices via USB connection when charging from public USB ports or public charging stations. Once the device is connected, hackers can access and steal data from the victim's device, mobile phone without having to install malware directly on their device. This makes charging phones from untrusted sources dangerous and poses a risk to the security of users' personal information.

"Hackers can use public charging stations to steal personal information from your phone, including emails, passwords, bank account information and more. Sensitive data such as personal information, business documents or corporate secrets can be stolen and used improperly, causing great losses to individuals or organizations," Mr. Drew Paik emphasized.

Beware of sophisticated tricks

Data theft from public phone charging ports is on the rise and is considered a growing threat to the security of personal information and important user data. Hackers and cyber attackers are becoming more creative and developing methods to exploit weaknesses in systems to steal information.

According to some cybersecurity experts, in some cases, criminals can use the “scattering charger” tactic to carry out cyber attacks. They can intentionally leave cables plugged into public phone charging stations or other locations such as airports, shopping malls, restaurants, etc. with the aim of defrauding or attacking users.

When a user finds a loose-leaf cable left in a public place, they may feel safe and use it to charge their phone, not realizing that it is a criminal scheme. The cable may have malware installed or be used to steal personal information from the user's device without permission.

Users need to be vigilant and avoid using phone charging cables of unknown origin in public places. (Photo: CNN)

To alert users, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC, USA) also updated a blog post warning that hackers can create fake or malware-infected USB charging cables and distribute them as free promotional gifts. These cables are often equipped with malware or surveillance software that can access and steal data from users' devices when connected.

This makes it easy for users to fall into the trap and poses a great risk to the security of personal information and important data. Therefore, avoiding using unknown or untrusted USB charging cables is very important to protect yourself from these cyber threats.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/cuc-dieu-tra-lien-bang-my-canh-bao-khong-su-dung-tram-sac-dien-thoai-cong-cong-314723.html