Public charging stations in malls and at airports could be a conduit for bad actors to introduce malware onto personal devices, officials warn.
People charge their electronics at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where outlets are available for travelers to plug in, Aug. 24, 2016.The FBI is warning the public against using charging stations in malls and at airports, according to aThe public charging stations could be a conduit for bad actors to introduce malware onto personal devices, officials warn.
"Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers," the FBI Denver said. "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." The FBI didn't respond to ABC News' request for comment on whether there has been a rise in malicious activity related to the cyber-theft tactic known as "juice jacking."
People charge their electronics at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where outlets are available for travelers to plug in, Aug. 24, 2016.Javed Ali, the former senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, told ABC News that the information tweet was likely "informed by an FBI-driven investigation or other intelligence that has now been approved for public release.
"The tweet's message that public USB ports have been used by "bad actors" as points of origin to load malware or spyware on electronic devices connected to those public charging stations suggests a fairly high level of technical capability in order to carry out these operations," Ali, now an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy said.
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