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Airport warning for holidaymakers this summer who need to charge their phone
Here are three reasons you should never use USB ports in airports
AN EXPERT has warned travellers against charging their phones at airports and other public spaces.
Jae Ro, from adapter manufacturer SIGNAL + POWER, outlined three reasons as to why you should resist the urge to use public USB ports.
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He issued the warning following a surge of cyber-criminals introducing malware to the devices of naive travellers via USB port.
Dodgy criminals have even been known to monitor people's devices this way.
He told Scottish newspaper The Herald that the first reason you should be wary of using the public USB is malware.
"Public USB ports offer a tempting solution when you're low on battery and have a long journey ahead, but the convenience comes with a significant security risk."
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He went on to say that criminals are able to tamper with the ports by installing the malicious software.
Even worse is that it often lurks undetected while it steals confidential information like bank details and sensitive passwords.
The second risk people unwittingly take by using these USB ports is falling victim to the juice jacking phenomenon.
The fraudsters can then get a hold of your sensitive information.
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Jae said: "Once infected, your phone becomes vulnerable not just at the airport, but wherever you take it."
The final reason the tech expert cited urging flyers to refrain from using public USB ports was data exposure.
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Jae stressed that even charging stations that aren't toyed with risk unintentional data exposure.
He said: "While phones prompt users to choose between 'Charge only' and 'Transfer files' modes, this protection is often bypassed with charging stations."
He explained that because of this, your device may well be susceptible to data interception or exploitation.
The stolen data could then be used for identity theft or even sold on the dark web by the hackers.
His advice comes as the Federal Communications Commission in the US also warned against charging devices in free spaces.
On their website they state how WiFi can also be risky.
"Public WiFi networks are another way that cyber criminals target travellers."
But Jae did say there are four steps you can take to safely charge your phone at the airport.
He said if you really have to use a public charging method, opt for wall sockets as they don't pose the same security threats USB ports do.
Jae also urged flyers not to transfer data via public stations.
To do this, manually disable data transfer on your device before you connect it so that only power flows through the cable.
Another tip of his was to look into buying a USB data blocker cable to obstruct data transfer between your phone and the charging station.
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A different precaution you can take is buying a portable charger.
The nifty devices can be affordable and mean you won't have to rely on anything to get you buy when you're low on battery.
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