On vacation, be careful where you charge your cell phone

Normally, we are cautious about leaving home with our devices charged, as just the thought of running out of battery is a nightmare we don’t want to be the protagonist of.

However, it may happen that due to prolonged use of the device or other reasons, you run out of battery and we are sure that you will look for a nearby charging point to have your device operational again, without thinking beyond that. But there are dangers that you should be aware of when charging your cell phone away from home.

What is juice-jacking?

The idea behind juice-jacking is to take advantage of the devices’ need for charging and users’ trust by connecting them to unknown USB ports, to gain unauthorized access to information (photos, contacts, emails, etc.) or to introduce malicious software(malware) on the devices (smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc.).

Another version of this type of cyber attack is video-jacking. video-jackingwhich is the copying of our screen and everything that is projected on it, with the data being sent to the cybercriminal.

In a USB there are 4 pins, 2 of which are for recharging the device, and the other 2 are for data transmission. It is through the latter that cybercriminals obtain our personal information.

Public charging points

Surely at some point you have needed to charge your device and wherever you have found yourself you have looked for a public charging point, such as those at airports, train and bus stations, or in shopping malls.

These public charging points are where they are often manipulated by cyber attackers, so that when our devices are connected, malware is installed without us even realizing it.

The same can happen if someone lends you their charger or it is “forgotten” in a socket. Also if we charge them in a restaurant, the train or bus where we travel, or even in the center where we go regularly.

Specific recommendations for juice jacking

The first recommendation, as we have already mentioned, is to always carry your cell phone or device with a charged battery from home, as this is the safest option of all.

If this is not possible or we have forgotten to do so, it is advisable to take one of these options with us:

1-. Una batería portátil (power Banks) con carga suficiente.

2-. Un cable de carga propio, para no utilizar el que nos ofrezcan en los puntos de recarga.

3-. Utilizar cables con funcionalidad única de carga.

4-. Desactivar en nuestro dispositivo la opción de “transferencia de datos” o en “Ajustes de USB” activar la opción de “Solo carga”.

5-. Uso de un bloqueador de USB, en donde se bloquea la transmisión de datos de los pines que componen el USB.

General security recommendations for your devices

In addition to the specific recommendations we have just given you, it is always important to follow some security guidelines in the use of our devices, such as:

1-. Mantén actualizado tu dispositivo con los últimos parches de seguridad y utiliza soluciones de seguridad confiables, como antivirus y antimalware.

2-. Considera el uso de servicios de autenticación de dos factores (2FA) para proteger tus cuentas en línea. Esto proporcionará una capa adicional de seguridad incluso si alguien obtiene acceso a tus contraseñas.

3-. Evita conectarte a redes wifi públicas.

4-. Activa en tu conexión de internet móvil la VPN correspondiente

5-. Cifrar la información antes del envío de la misma, así como cifrar de extremo a extremos las conversaciones en la utilización de la mensajería instantánea.

Business Adapter® at your service

If you have doubts about how to avoid a possible attack to your devices, or you want to improve the security measures you have implemented, do not hesitate and contact us by email: info@businessadapter.es, you can also call 96 131 88 04, or leave your message in this form:

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