The Los Angeles District Attorney has issued an alert advising travelers and citizens to avoid using USB charging stations at airports, hotels, and other public places, as they may contain malware.
This alert, although originating in Los Angeles, should be applied worldwide, as this threat exists and is becoming more common.
Since these types of connections were created for transferring, both data and power, without a strict barrier between the two, a harmless-looking USB power outlet can access the contents of your device or install malicious apps. This attack is known as “juice jacking“.
Over the years, The techniques of cybercriminals have been evolving and adapting to device security updates in order to continue carrying out their attacks. That is why in 2016, a researcher named Samy Kamkar, took the concept further and managed to use a public charging USB to capture the network traffic of the device using it.
At the beginning of 2017, another researcher, used one of these connections to record the screen of anyone who connected to it.
Es por esto que, since Intec, We do not recommend the use of public charging USB connections and we advise carrying the ones known as powerbanks. Much safer and you will be able to charge your device anywhere.