“Juice jacking” may be a new term for some, but it has been around as a method of cyber attack for a long time. The former problem was that it was expensive to install, but now that has all changed. The tools required for juice jacking have become cheaper and easier and it’s now a way that the average cyber criminal can steal personal data.
Juice jacking is the use of USB ports to hijack and install malware that monitors software on devices as they are charging. This means that any public charging area is at risk. What few know is that common charging cables, the lightning and USB-C cables, have a dual purpose. They have pins for data and pins that are solely for charging. When charging, your device is only using the charging pins, however, in a port that has been hijacked they can use both the data pins and the charging pins without your knowledge. The data pins can therefore install malware/keyloggers onto the device that you are charging, and this gives the criminals access to your data and credentials. It’s been compared to plugging your smartphone into another person’s laptop.
What you can do to protect yourself:
If you are traveling, take your own cable and charger and make sure to plug it directly into a power outlet. If you are stuck and can’t take your own, invest in a device called a USB data blocker. This will prevent any data or information being transferred while still enabling your phone to be charged. This self-protection should be used in all public areas such as airports, hotels, cyber cafes, businesses that require you to wait for service, etc.
How can you tell if you’ve been juice jacked:
The easiest way to tell if you’ve experienced juice jacking is in a sudden change in performance. If your phone is overheating, slow or crashes; has unfamiliar apps, fast battery drain or strange data usage. Another sign can be unexpected pop-ups – adds that keep appearing on your screen that you never saw before. Check your system app to see if you have unexpected high data usage. If you never experienced a lot of calls being dropped and suddenly calls and texts are acting oddly, take your phone in to have it checked for malware or invest in a security app that can remove the malware.
While there is no single security app that can be recommended, there are a number of good ones that protect all types of smartphones. You can use your browser to find a list of the top ten and decide based on your budget and personal needs. Cyber criminals will continue to try to use every tool that they can to steal your information so protecting your data should be a priority.
We are committed to assisting everyone by sharing information that can protect them from threat actors. Our team works diligently to bring the latest knowledge on battling cyber thieves to protect people from becoming victims.
– Sharon Knowles, CEO DaVinci Cybersecurity
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