FBI advises smartphone users to avoid this action immediately

## The FBI has just issued a warning to smartphone users who often have the habit of charging batteries at free mobile charging stations today. The tweet from the FBI’s Denver office said: “Avoid using free charging stations at airports, hotels or shopping malls. The bad guys have found a way to use public USB ports to inject malware and surveillance into devices. Bring your own charger and USB cord and charge it using a power outlet.” The advice given by the FBI is to protect users against a form of attack known as “juice jacking”. Basically, malware can be installed on a USB port or USB cable connected to a public charging station. They can infect users’ phones, allowing attackers to track keystrokes and steal data. Since the USB port is used for both charging and data transfer, when prompted on the screen after connecting to the charging station, users are advised to select the charging mode. Back in 2019, Los Angeles officials (USA) issued a warning about what they called a USB charger scam, also known as “juice jacking”. The warning came with some advice that is still valid today: – Instead of using a public charging station, find a wall outlet to plug in your own cable. – If you’re going on the road, buy a car charger. – Buy a power bank and make sure the battery is fully charged before leaving the house or hotel. – If you absolutely must use a public charging station, lock your phone while charging. If it’s possible to charge the phone when it’s powered off, that would be even better. In general, authorities recommend that users are better off staying away from public USB charging stations even if they are free to avoid unexpected situations that may occur, such as crooks accessing banking applications. goods and withdraw the amount in your account. One of the best ways is to buy a power bank with you, although it can be expensive, it will help protect users a lot in the future.