Are Public Charging Stations Safe? The FBI Says No

The FBI is warning people not to use free public phone charging stations due to the risk of hijacking.

“Juice jacking” is the term used to describe bad actors using public chargers to access information on cell phones and infect them with malware through the USB port. The FBI is advising consumers to bring their own charges and use an electrical outlet instead.

Public charging ports are most popularly found in airports and shopping malls.

According to The Hill, the FBI is not the only one making a public service announcement about the dangers of USB charging stations. The Federal communications Commission (FCC) has also warned consumers on its website of hackers accessing information from devices through juice jacking.

Not only can hackers access personal information and passwords, they can also sell it to other criminals.

The FBI’s Denver office informed The Hill that the warning was just a public service announcement, nothing prompted it.