{"id":26696,"date":"2023-09-11T09:30:12","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T17:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=26696"},"modified":"2023-09-12T09:37:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T17:37:27","slug":"have-you-been-a-victim-of-juice-jacking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/have-you-been-a-victim-of-juice-jacking\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Phone Battery Low? Watch Out for Juice Jacking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019re on the road and out of juice. We\u2019ve all been there. Luckily, most airports, hotels and cafes now offer free charging stations where you can simply plug in a USB cord and recharge your phone. Not so fast. Although most of us assume that our phones can\u2019t be hacked, we\u2019re all at risk from juice jacking in public areas. Find out what it is, why you\u2019re vulnerable and how to protect yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Juice Jacking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Juice jacking is a sneaky cyber-theft tactic that exploits vulnerabilities in public USB charging stations. It also exploits the psychological fact that when we\u2019re on the go, most of us can be distracted and disoriented. A public USB charging port not only looks familiar but also seems like an act of kindness. Sadly, criminals take advantage by loading malware into the USB station or cable. Their aim is to interrupt the data transfer in the USB port and steal your passwords, card details or other sensitive information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Charge, Numerous Negatives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of us assume that our USB cable is just for charging, forgetting perhaps that it\u2019s also the means by which we attach our peripheral devices to our laptop or desktop computer to upload or download files. When a hacker juice jacks your connection, they hop onto this data transfer stream in secret. Their goal might be to install malware, ransomware, spyware, Trojans or crypto miners to take over your phone. Alternatively, they\u2019re running crawlers that search for personally identifiable information with the aim of cloning your personal info onto another device. Either way, you could be at risk of fraudulent transactions, compromised personal information or any number of sophisticated hacking scams<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs You\u2019ve Been Juice Jacked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hackers know that you\u2019ll be fully charged and on your way before you realize something is wrong. If you notice any of these symptoms<\/a> and you recently charged your phone at a public station, assume the worst and take remedial action immediately:<\/p>\n\n\n\n