The FBI is again warning people to avoid using public phone charging stations in airports, malls, hotels, or any public location, because of Juice Jacking.
Juice Jacking is a way to compromise devices such as tablets or phones that use the same cable for charging as they do for data transfer. Hackers have figured out a way to put malware and monitoring software on your device as well as steal sensitive data when you use one of their modified charging stations. Even being connected for 60 seconds can be enough to compromise your device.
Here are a few indicators that your device may have been hacked, although it is usually difficult to tell.
- Apps take a long time to load.
- Your device frequently crashes.
- The device has excessive overheating.
- There is increased or unusual data usage.
The best way to avoid Juice Jacking is to always use your own charger and cable connected to a standard outlet. You can also purchase a Data Blocker adaptor that clips onto the end of your standard cable or even purchase a special cable that only allows for power and no data transfer.
