Airports, hotels, cafés, even shopping malls, offer public charging points where you can boost your phone or laptop battery on the go.
These charging ports have been in the news after the FBI recently offered advice to stop using them. The security risk of “juice jacking” was long thought to be more theoretical than real, but the tech needed to carry out this attack type is now getting smaller, cheaper, and easier to use. This means less sophisticated criminals are now turning their hand to it.
So how does it work?
The most common charging cables – USB-C and lightning – are dual-purpose. They have pins for charging and pins for data. When charging your device, only the charging pins are used. Compromised charging ports – or cables– use both the charging pins and data pins. With access to the data pins, criminals can install malware onto your device that captures credentials and other important information.
To avoid the risk, the best solution is to always carry your own charger, cable, and plug.
Contact DIS if you need help keeping your organization secure and productive at the same time.
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.