What is ‘juice jacking’? And how can you avoid it?
FOX5 Investigates how hackers can steal personal information through public USB charging stations
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - AAA predicts nearly 80 million Americans will hit the road or the friendly skies this Thanksgiving holiday.
Travelers may be tempted to charge their devices at the free USB charging stations at airports. The Federal Communications Commission wants those travelers to think twice.
It’s called “juice jacking” because the crime happens while you try to give your phone some juice. The FCC warns bad actors can use the same USB charging station to jack anything store on plugged-in devices, including banking information.
Instead, the FCC recommends that travelers carry a portable charger.
If they absolutely have to plug into a USB port, travelers should use their own cables. This prevents criminals from downloading malware or stealing data from devices while they are charging.
If travelers get a prompt to choose from such as “share data,” “trust this computer,” or “charge only,” always choose “charge only.”
It’s also a good idea to stay from free public Wi-Fi, too. The FCC warns hackers can also snatch personal data and passwords that way.
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