“Don’t use that port”: FBI warning against charging stations at airports
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As inviting as they may be, the free charging stations for battery cell phones found in airports, shopping malls, hotels and public places in the US would be at risk of cyberattacks.
I am sounding the alarm city of Denver FBI officialswhich warn against the dangers of the activity of cyber criminals, capable of exploiting the vulnerabilities of USB ports to infect the devices of unsuspecting or unwary users, by downloading malware and spy software.
It would be good to avoid using public columns, we read in a post of the official Twitter accountand always have the power supply of your smartphone at hand: in this way, the devices would be protected from the practice of the so-called juice jacking, a computer attack technique that is carried out precisely through the USB power cable with the aim of having access to mobile phones or tablets to get hold of passwords and personal data.
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In recent years, public charging points made available free of charge have multiplied over the years airports, including the Denver airport, to offer a greater number of services for the benefit of visitors and tourists. Also managers of hotels And shopping centers they followed this trend to attract more clientele.
However, the more benefits for consumers correspond to the greater risk factors: it is from 2021 that the Federal Communications Commission, the US government authority for telecommunicationsissued warnings against juice jacking, warning users that they could become victims of this new cyber theft activity.
Newspapers like the New York Times simultaneously denounced how cybercriminals, in order to trap people, even intentionally leave apparently infected cables at charging stations, or even in trains abandoned or forgotten: if used, they can carry viruses and malicious programs.
In order not to fall prey to ill-intentioned, i advice users of the FCC mirror those of the FBI in this regard: it is better to carry your own USB cable, a portable charger or a power bank to ensure the safety of the devices.
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