Hackers Are Now Stealing Your Data Through Public USB Chargers

What Happened

The FBI's Detroit office recently shed light on a way for hackers and fraudsters to steal your personal and financial data, as reported by WKRC Cincinnati. In some places, such as airports, hotel lobbies, and malls, free charging stations for cellphones are available for free public use. If your phone's battery is dying, this can be an easy way to top it off while away from home. But you may want to think twice, based on this warning from the FBI.

As noted by FBI Denver on Twitter, "Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices." This practice is known as "juice jacking," and isn't new. In tweeting this reminder about juice jacking, the FBI is intending to mitigate any potential harm to consumers by reminding them to be vigilant about protecting their data.

So What

Juice jacking is a particularly insidious means of accessing your personal data. According to a recent statement by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the malware is installed via USB port and is then transmitted to phones via charging cables left for use by travelers. It can then lock your device or even pull data and passwords off your phone and export them to a hacker.

Think about all the information contained in your phone, which might include social media accounts, financial log-ins (including those for mobile banking and credit card apps), and more. If a hacker gains access to these while your phone is charging, they can sell the information to others or use it to drain your checking account themselves.

Now What

If you're traveling and lack the usual convenience of an easily accessible phone charger, you may have limited options if your phone's battery is dying. The best way to mitigate this potential threat is to avoid using public charging stations and plan ahead for a potential "low battery" warning. This includes carrying your own phone charger and looking for a free wall outlet, or even purchasing a portable charger or external phone battery that you can use to top off your battery -- with no risk of scams involved.

If you've got no choice but to use a public charging station, consider using your own charge-only cable (which lacks data pins and therefore doesn't allow data to be transmitted). And when you plug in, if you get a pop-up on your phone asking if you want to share data or charge only, choose "charge only." Don't put your financial information at risk in exchange for a quick battery charge.