I’m a cybersecurity expert – this is why I would never charge my phone from a public USB port
- Using public charging stations can leave you vulnerable to hacking, experts say
- Criminals can damage chargers to clone your data and even access your camera
- Cybersecurity expert Adrianus Warmenhoven explains why he would never use a public channel – and what you can do instead
Few of us would think twice about using a public charging station when our phone’s battery is dead.
But experts are sounding the alarm about these types of devices, as they can help hackers download all your data and even access your camera to keep an eye on you throughout the day.
The crime – known as “juice jacking” – is so widespread that last month the FBI and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urged people not to use free charging stations – and always bring their own chargers instead.
And expert Andrianus Warmenhoven, who works for cybersecurity company NordVPN, told Dailymail.com that he would never use a public station – no matter how hard he had to charge his phone.
Juice jacking is where a hacker can load malware onto the USB port or cable to these drives found in airports, train stations and shopping malls.
Experts are sounding the alarm about public phone charging stations that could give hackers access to your data and even your camera
Malware is a type of software designed to damage a computer system.
As your phone charges, it gets infected with the malware that can clone your data – including all your credit card information, passwords, addresses and names – and send it back to the hacker’s device.
Criminals often steal their victims’ data and sell it on the dark web – an underground, anonymous marketplace for fraudsters.
“The problem with juice jacking is that there are very few recorded cases of it,” Warmenhoven told Dailymail.com.
“That’s because most of the victims don’t even know it happened to them.
“Some may not find out until a few months later that money has disappeared from their account – and they will have no idea it came from the USB port they were using.”
He added, “And it’s not just your data. In theory, they could access your camera and keep an eye on you from there.’
Juice-jacking was a term first coined in 2011 after researchers created a compromised charging kiosk to raise awareness of the scam.
But historically it was less common because it was too sophisticated and expensive for many hackers.
However, hackers have gotten bolder and developed easier ways to carry out the attack.
A 2022 USB Threat Report from Honeywell Forge found that fraud related to USB exploitation had increased to 52% in four years.
Warmenhoven said: ‘We use our phones a lot more, so we are now more dependent on public charging stations.
Andrianus Warmenhoven, who works for NordVPN, told Dailymail.com that he would never use a public channel
“And you can now buy ready-made cables to carry out the attack. Even a technically inexperienced hacker could do it.’
Criminals can buy a Hack5 OMG adapter – which can compromise phone data – for just $7.
They could then very easily use that to replace a legitimate charging cable at a public station.
He adds that both the cable and the USB port carry risks.
‘You now see these ‘charging lockers’ on beaches and tourist destinations. I would never use one.
‘They are often made by a third party. And it only takes one person in a factory to be bribed to corrupt the technology.”
He notes that people can buy USB data blockers for just a few dollars at most computer and homeware stores.
These devices look like USB sticks and plug directly into USB ports – they act as a shield between the port and the device.
Alternatively, he recommends bringing your own cable and plug and using an electricity-only outlet or relying on a portable charging bank instead.