Tech Tips for Non-Tech People!
Original Air Date: May 30, 2019
Dangerous USB Ports
Have you noticed that more options are showing up in lots of public places that allow you to charge your smartphone via a USB port?
But did you know that you could become a victim of a scam that can actually be perpetrated with these USB ports?
It's called ‘juice jacking’ which is when the device you connect to for a charge actually attempts to connect to your device to access data.
Depending upon the type of phone your using, you may be able to see how easy it is by plugging your smartphone into a USB port on your computer.
If you see a window pop up with the file folders from your phone, nefarious charging stations may be able to do the same thing.
I’d be much more concerned about this scam in smaller airports in foreign countries, but it certainly could happen to anyone, anywhere.
The good news is that it’s easy to avoid becoming a victim by always using your own charger via an electrical outlet instead of a USB port on a public charging station.
If you want to have the option of using a foreign USB port as a charger safely, tomorrow I’ll tell you about a simple device that will make sure you’re only getting juice and not jacked!
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