Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world today and list out ways to explore these trends. Ever heard of juice jacking? In this week’s edition, we’ll explain what it is and how to avoid getting juice jacked.
You’re on your way to the airport for a business trip and forgot to charge your laptop at home. You’re counting on the airport having adequate AC charging stations so you can charge up and get some work done on the long flight. Upon reaching the airport, you notice that there are no power strips or outlets, but there are plenty of USB ports in the seating area near the gate.
Without a second thought, you plug in your laptop’s cable and start hammering away at the keyboard while your laptop charges. Suddenly, multiple windows appear on your screen. Your device is now locked, and you can’t get in.
Congratulations, you just got juice jacked!
According to experts, threat actors can now use public USB charging stations to steal personal data such as passwords and bank account details directly from the endpoints that connect to them. Not only this, juice jackers can also leave your devices infected with malware and corrupt your operating system. If you’re an employee using a work device, you know how badly that could affect business.
But not to worry. Although technically possible, there have been no confirmed reports of juice jacking in the wild—yet. Let’s look at three ways you can avoid getting juice jacked using public portals.
1. Bring your own gear
It’s always a good idea to make sure you pack your peripherals along with your computing device. As much as our Bluetooth headsets and AirPods have become a way of life for us, so should our charging accessories. It’s perfectly okay to go that extra mile and walk up to the next gate in the airport with the AC power outlets. Power banks, too, are a great way to juice up while on the go.
If you really have no other choice but to plug into a USB port for charging, make sure you use a charge-only USB cable, which only allows for charging without any kind of back and forth data transfer.
2. Think ahead
It’s the small things in life that often make the difference. Like charging your cell phone to 100% before boarding a 12-hour flight. Or taking a fully charged power bank out for brunch with your buddies. Or playing music in your car via USB instead of Bluetooth (which if you didn’t know, is a real power drain). I’m sure that extra juice will come in handy when you have to use Apple Pay on your phone for the groceries. Simply put, when you know you’re going to be out of your house for a while, be sure to come prepared.
3. Power off
Don’t have a power bank? No charge-only USB cable? If you had to use a public USB charging station, your best bet would be to turn off your device first. When a device is turned off, there is little to no possibility of data transfer to and from the device, even if plugged into a USB port. Not just this; another benefit of charging your device when it’s turned off is that it will charge much quicker, and you don’t have to keep it plugged in for too long.
More than any other kind of attack, juice jacking is the kind that can be easily avoided by exercising a little caution and not taking things for granted. Not many of you would have even given a second thought to using a public USB charging port, but you can never underestimate the ingenuity of threat actors.
Remember, stay cautious and don’t get your juice jacked!
