TRAVEL ALERT: Beware of “Juice Jacking” – A Free Phone Charge Could Cost You Big Time!
By Daniel Wickowski
November 22, 2019
LOS ANGELES (AGN.News) – With your mobile device starting to show low power, you can become desperate to find a way to charge the device. Airports, coffee shops, car dealerships, hotels, and other places often have charging ports or docking ports to charge your phone or tablet.
You might want to think twice before using them. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is warning travelers about a USB charger scam, or juice jacking.
A free charge could end up draining your bank account, Luke Sisak, a deputy district attorney, said in a video posted online this month.
What is “Juice jacking”? This happens when unsuspecting users have little or no power on their devices so they plug their electronic devices into USB ports or use USB cables that have been loaded with malware.
Exercise caution when using USB ports or previously used USB cables because hackers and scammers are loading malware into the cables.
Additional caution should be exercised when you are given a “Free” USB cable as a “gift”. Hackers can used the cable as a way “in” … and export your data, including your passwords, credit card information, and even lock up the gadgets, making them unusable.
Other ways to protect yourself include carrying your own charging wires, only charging directly from an electrical outlet and using portable batteries that were bought from known vendors.
Don’t be a believer,” (a person who believes … “free” is always good) since scammers are really active during the holiday season. Watch out for those “free” cables. Starting with Black Friday, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
You can protect yourself by carrying your own charging wires, only charging directly from an electrical outlet and/or using portable batteries that were bought from known vendors.
It’s not just the cables you have to watch out for, it’s the ports also. Scammers and hackers can easily rip out USB ports and replace them with their own malicious hardware.
It’s easy to modify the outlet if the attacker has physical access. Remember, a free phone charge could cost you big time!
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Written by
Daniel Wickowski
