The FBI recommends that you use your own charger and USB cable.
No one likes their phone running out of power when they are away from home. In that moment of crisis, public charging stations available in airports, cafes and hotels may seem like a lifesaver but charging phones in such places can have unfortunate consequences.
Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned people not to hook up to free electricity but to carry their own chargers and USB cords that plug into an outlet.
On April 6, the Denver office of the FBI tweeted a dire warning to smartphone owners to avoid using free public charging stations. ”Avoid using free charging stations at airports, hotels or shopping centers. Bad actors have found ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and surveillance software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead,” the tweet reads.
Check out the tweet here:
Avoid using free charging stations at airports, hotels or shopping centers. Bad actors have found ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and surveillance software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead. pic.twitter.com/9T62SYen9T
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 6, 2023
The FBI said in its tweet that miscreants use USB ports to infect phones with dangerous malware and software that can give hackers access to your phone, tablet or computer.
on that WebsiteThe FBI warned people saying, “Be careful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks and do not conduct any sensitive transactions, including purchases, over public networks.
Those handing over money online are urged to “check email addresses and website URLs in all correspondence as well as thoroughly check all payment requests, and never link in unsolicited email Do not click on.
Previously, the FBI warned about the dangers of plugging into public USB ports, known as “juice jacking”. It has been noted that criminals have been known to install infected USB ports that can export personal data and passwords directly from the phone to them.
It explained, “Cybersecurity experts warn that criminals can load malware onto public USB charging stations to maliciously access electronic devices while they are being charged. Malware installed through a dirty USB port can lock the device or export personal data and passwords directly to the criminal. Criminals can use that information to access online accounts or sell it to other bad actors.
The FBI recommends creating a strong and unique password for each online account and changing them regularly. It also asked people to update phones regularly, set up multi-factor authentication and keep an eye out for sophisticated phishing scams.
According to the most recent data from the FBI, Americans could lose a staggering $10.3 billion to internet scams in 2022.