Getting to the hotel room after a long trip and to begin to locate the plugs for charging different devices is something that is already daily life for the vast majority, and in this sense, to find (especially, abroad) a USB connector in the wall can be as giving as an oasis in the desert. This type of connectors, saving you the headache of dealing with different types of plugs that one can find in different countries, but experts have again warned of its danger: can be a channel of access for hackers. And the threat is real.
while the threat is already known and about which experts have warned in the past, the office of the prosecutor of Los Angeles, in the united States, has issued a public warning asking citizens to avoid at all costs to use the USB connectors present in hotels and airports face the serious possibility of being victims to what is known as juice jacking. By using this technique, hackers can steal directly from your mobile phone user’s private information, or worse, install malware that could even record conversations, and all the activity on the device.
“high Impact”
do We have before an alert is disproportionate or the threat is real? Fernando Suarez, president of the General Council of Official Colleges of Engineering in Computer science of Spain, confirms that “the impact of this risk is very high,” and, according to this expert, “the threat and the consequent recommendation is similar to the use of wifis public: do not to use them, because we don’t know what other users and with what purpose they use this shared medium”.
Kaspersky Lab confirms the existence of this threat, even if they do not consider that it is very widespread. Daniel Creus, security analyst at the company, explains that, despite the fact that “it is not very extended in a generic way, it is important to keep in mind because it can be considered a vector of infection and, therefore, a threat.”
How to protect yourself
The possibility of running out of battery is one of the biggest fears for anyone, but we must assume an extremely high risk how to avoid it?
Prevent the USB ports. It may seem obvious, but it is the first recommendation of all the experts: do not use these USB ports to public in spite of how convenient you are and what’s needed that may be one of battery.
to Bring the charger on top. Modern chargers just take up space and always should be one above to load the mobile and avoid having to resort to these public ports.
Used portable batteries. Known as powerbanks are a lifesaver for many travelers and will always be more advisable to use than resorting to a USB public.
turn Off the device while it is charging. If there really is no more option to load the mobile using one of these USB ports, McAfee recommends turning off the device while it is charging in order to minimize risks and prevent data traffic in the process.
