The utilization of free public charging stations has been cautioned against by the FBI due to the possibility of malicious exploitation, CNBC reported.
The agency reported that perpetrators have successfully compromised public chargers, leading to the injection of malware into devices or the installation of software that may grant unauthorized access to phones, tablets, or computers.
“Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers,” a tweet from the FBI’s Denver field office said, as reported by CNBC. “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.”
Similar to the bulletin, the FBI website also advises individuals to steer clear of public chargers. The notice did not mention any recent instances of harm caused to consumers as a result of juice jacking.
The FBI’s Denver field office explained that the advisory was released as a preventive measure, and no specific incident prompted it.
The Federal Communications Commission has been issuing warnings about the juice jacking malware scheme since 2021.
Written by staff
B.C. Begley 