FBI Warns Against Public Phone Charging Station Use Due to Malware Risk

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NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: A man uses one of the new Wi-Fi kiosks that offer free web surfing, phone calls and a charging station on August 24, 2016 in New York City. The LinkNYC terminals, which number around 300 in Manhattan, have become especially popular with both the homeless and panhandlers. The free kiosks are being installed to replace obsolete pay phones around Manhattan

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned the public against using public phone charging stations due to the risk of exposing their mobile devices to nasty malware.

The FBI sheds light on a widespread scheme of cyber attackers. These charging stations, mostly found in malls or airports, which crucially top up the battery of our mobile devices, might end up stealing our information by installing malicious software.

Risks of Public Phone Charging Stations

As phones have become part of our daily lives, our prolonged use of these mobile devices is quickly draining their batteries. While phone makers are constantly improving the battery life of their latest offerings, it still needs to juice up after a couple of hours.

When outside in public places like an airport waiting for our flight, it might sound convenient to charge our phones using the public stations around the facility. Some might have tried it out, while others must have had this habit for quite a while now. But you might want to think twice.

According to CBS News, the Denver office of the FBI is now discouraging the public from using public charging stations in spaces like shopping malls or airports.

The FBI Denver office took to Twitter to warn against public charging use. The tweet reveals that "bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices."

The warning advises the general public to "avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels, or shopping centers." Instead, the FBI suggests phone users bring their chargers and use an electric outlet in these locations.

Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers. 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. pic.twitter.com/9T62SYen9T
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 6, 2023

FBI

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The FBI seal is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, DC on July 5, 2016.

FCC Warns Against Juice Jacking

Besides the FBI, CNN notes that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a similar warning to the public over concerns about corrupted charging ports.

In an FCC blog post, the commission explains the "Juice Jacking" method of threat actors, mostly used for public USB charging stations. Cybercriminals are using these essential stations to stuff malware on their users' mobile devices. Later on, the malicious software ends up stealing some personal information of their victims, including but not limited to critical data like login credentials.

In some instances, cyber attackers may also access your photos and messages if ever they want to. And because of this, the FCC encourages consumers to "avoid using a public USB charging station" to avoid falling for the "Juice Jacking" scheme.

If you have to settle with these public charging stations, always select "charge only" if a prompt asks to "share data," the commission notes.