Beware of juice jacking: FBI warns against using public USB charging points over security concerns

Washington, United States

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning people to not use public phone charging stations or USB ports to avoid exposing their devices to malicious software. The Denver branch in a tweet said, "Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centres. Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead." The organisation told CBS News that there is no specific incident that caused the public announcement, rather was meant as a "field warning." While these charging stations are useful to many when devices are running low on battery, cyber experts have been raising security concerns for years.

In the last four years, the threats designed to propagate over USB or exploit USB for infection rose to 52 per cent, the 2022 USB Threat report by Honeywell Forge said.  

In 2011, they introduced the term "juice jacking" to describe the problem. 

What is juice jacking?

A term coined in 2011, still remains a concern. It means a security vulnerability in which a tampered or infected USB charging station is used to compromise linked devices.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials warned malware installed through corrupted USB ports can lock a device or even export personal data including passwords directly to criminals. 

Drew Paik, a former employee of security firm Authentic8 told news agency CNN that plugging your phone into a (compromised) charger infects your device and data. If the port is compromised, then there is no limit to what extent a hacker could access the information. The hacker can even lock your device.

Experts have advised never to use a charger that isn't yours or someone you know.

The FCC in its recent blog post said, "In some cases, criminals may have intentionally left cables plugged in at charging stations. There have even been reports of infected cables being given away as promotional gifts."

Steps to avoid juice jacking?

Like the FBI, FCC recommends public to avoid using public USB charging stations and use a power outlet instead. In case you're travelling, always carry a portable charger or an external battery. 

If you don't have any of these and are compelled to use a public station, thoroughly inspect it and if it appears to have been tampered with in any way, don't use it.