"Travelers should avoid using public USB powercharging stations in airports, hotels and other locations because they may contain dangerous malware. In the USB Charger Scam, often called “juice jacking,” criminals load malware onto charging stations or cables they leave plugged in at the stations so they may infect the phones and other electronic devices of unsuspecting users. The malware may lock the device or export data and passwords directly to the scam."
Image and text from
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Helpful hints at the link, via
Neatorama.
Search for USB condom and buy a handful of adapters or cables. The good ones have a cut-out to show you that no data lanes are connected, only the power lanes.
ReplyDeletePlease note that this only protects you against infiltration, not https://usbkill.com/ or someone wiring a mains connection to a USB outlet.
You can use a device such as this to prevent this: http://syncstop.com/
ReplyDeleteIt physically blocks the data pins on a USB port, and only allows for power.