Your flight leaves in 20 minutes and you want to say goodnight to your kids and to your spouse. Damn, the cellphone power is seriously in the red zone…and your charger chord is in your checked luggage. I am certainly not going to buy a new adapter at airport priced, I already have a bunch of them at home from the last 10 trips where it was the one thing I forgot to bring.
I contemplated asking a guy sitting on the floor next to a power plug charging his phone when I spot a free charging station where I can rapidly charge my device. I heave a sigh of relief and plug into the USB port so I can call the kids and put some selfies up on social media. I think I have had a win but actually my troubles are just beginning.
Cybercriminals can modify these USB charging stations to install malware on your phone or secretly download information. Plugging into a public USB port is like finding a toothbrush on the side of the road and deciding to stick it in your mouth. You have no idea where that thing has been. The port can readily transport data. These stations can be modified by cybercriminals to install malware on your phone or download information without your knowledge. These ports could act like a passageway from your device to the charging station. It’s far safer to plug your regular charger into a power socket or use a portable power bank.
If you must use a public USB port, use a mobile security gadget known as a Juice- Jack Defender. It’s a little dongle you put in front of your charging cord that basically blocks any data from passing down the cord. It only passes the voltage. New research from IBM security found that travellers are being increasingly targeted by hackers.
The 2019 IBM X-Force Report said the transport industry was the second most attacked sector in 2018 moving up the ranks from 10th in 2017 and accounting for 19 per cent of all attacks observed by IBM X-Force. It is also recommended to avoid tech accessories, such as charging cords or USB sticks, left behind by other travellers. These often contain a chip inserted by a cybercriminal, allowing them to take control of your device.
According to the report, which looks at how cyberattackers are altering their techniques to hack devices, the financial services industry remained the most attacked sector of 2018. However, the transportation industry — which did not even make the top five list last year — moved to the second most attacked sector in 2018, with attempted attacks increasing threefold since the year prior.
A hacker at an airport is not going to easily take apart the charging station, but it’s easy just to leave a cord behind. So, if you see an Apple charging cord, you’re likely to grab it or just plug into it. But inside this cord is an extra chip that deploys the malware, so it charges your phone, but the hacker now own your computer.
Did you hear about the smartphone hacker who lives upstairs instead of his mom’s basement?That dude is on a different level