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April 21st, 2022
We all know the struggle of being away from home with a rapidly depleting phone battery. Maybe you’re waiting at the airport and you’ve already checked your luggage containing your charger, or you’re out for the day and there are absolutely no outlets to be found. Losing access to our phones can mean no way to look up directions, emails, and calls. This can make us desperate for a charge but hesitant to spend extra money on an overpriced charger or access to an outlet in a restaurant or coffee shop. That’s why many people are tempted to use public charging stations, which allow users to plug their phones into a USB for power. These devices sometimes come with chargers already attached to them. But recent cases of juice jacking, a new cyber-theft tactic, should make you think twice about where you plug in your device in public.
How to See if You’re Data Has Been Breach
Most of us walk around with our phones in arms reach of us every second of every day. Because of this, having your data beached is one of the biggest hazards of the 21st century. If you’re wondering if your sensitive data is floating around the internet, run a reverse search on yourself to see if your data is secure. Use the search bar below to check your digital footprint.
What Is Juice Jacking?
Juice jacking refers to criminals loading malicious software, or malware, onto public USB charging stations in order to intercept data from users. This allows hackers to access the electronic devices while they are being charged. From there, your personal data and passwords can be exported through the USB port directly to the perpetrator, allowing them to use or sell private information including your credit card information, social security number, and more. This is a similar concept to credit card skimming, in which debit card numbers are stolen by putting illegal card-reading devices, or skimmers, on legitimate machines such as ATMs. Juice jacking can also be done by removing USB ports and replacing them with hackers’ own hardware.
What Can I Do To Protect Myself From Malware?
Thankfully, most phone companies know about the vulnerability to juice jacking and have been working to make your phone more secure. If you choose to utilize a public charging station there are a number of precautions you can take.
Be Aware
Firstly, be aware of how your phone responds when plugged in. Typically, Apple and Android phones and tablets will display a pop-up when you plug your device into a new computer or device asking if you “trust” this new device. It’s always safe to choose “Don’t trust,” because this prevents the foreign device from accessing any of your data. If you’re using a public charging station, you should not receive any type of prompt. In fact, the prompt itself may indicate that someone is trying to access your phone. So when in doubt, unplug!
Carry a Portable Battery
The best way to avoid having to use a public charging station and expose yourself to possible juice jacking is to keep your phone well charged. A portable battery or charging bank allows you to charge your phone on the go and can carry many hours of use when fully charged. These are typically lightweight, slim, and inexpensive.
Use a Charging-Only Cable
Because juice jacking accesses your data through illicit charging cables, using a cable that prevents data from sending or receiving can stop juice jacking in its tracks. Make sure to purchase a charging-only cable from a trusted supplier.
Use a USB Condom
While it has a funny name, a USB condom can provide serious protection against juice-jacking scams. This is a device that goes between your normal data charging cable and a USB port and blocks data from being transmitted.
In Conclusion
Juice-Jacking is a new way scammers are compromising data. Having your data breached can quite literally ruin your life. But finding out whether or not your data has been breached is simple. Simply search yourself with the search bar below to see what information is out there about you. Run your first search today!
