Threat to phone chargers: FBI

The FBI has urged Americans to stay away from free phone charging stations found at airports, hotels, and other public places, as they could be used to hack into devices and pose a threat to privacy. The bureau's Denver office recently made a case against public charging sites in a social media post, suggesting people “Carry [their] own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead.” The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also warned that malicious actors can use USB ports to transfer malware onto the devices of unsuspecting users – a tactic it calls ‘juice jacking’. However, it remains unclear how common such attacks really are. After the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office issued an advisory warning travelers of the dangers of public charging sites in 2019, TechCrunch asked the agency for any reports of known cases of juice jacking. The office responded that it had no cases on its books, and was unable to point the outlet to additional resources documenting the phenomenon.