Free phone charging outlets are widespread in advanced airports and public places in some countries, and they may be a “savior” factor to keep us in touch with the world when the phone’s battery runs out, but US intelligence has now come to warn against using it.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned people not to use free public charging outlets, such as those you may have used before at airports and coffee shops.
The US intelligence and homeland security services said hackers “discovered” how to use them to infect devices with malware and other monitoring software.
“Carry your own charger and USB cable, and use an electrical outlet instead of a public outlet,” the Denver FBI page said.
How dangerous are public charging points?
Cybersecurity experts speak to Sky News of two main methods of “hacking”, targeting those who use public USB ports.
- The first method is by uploading malware onto public charging stations to gain access to devices during the charging process. This malware can then be used to steal account credentials, financial information, and other details.
- The second method is “video intrusion,” in which equipment hidden in a compromised charging point records footage of everything that happens on the device while it’s plugged in, from entering passwords to writing emails.