La Jolla Crime and Public-Safety News: Be wary of where you charge cell phones; Weekly list of incidents reported to San Diego Police

Better Business Bureau warns, juicing up your electronic device at free USB charging stations, such as those found near airport gates, in hotels and other travel-friendly locations, could have unfortunate consequences. You could become a victim of “juice jacking,” a new cyber-theft tactic.

By Daniel K. Lew

Dec. 18, 2019 4:03 PM PT

BBB warns: Be wary of where you charge cell phones

The Better Business Bureau warns, juicing up your electronic device at free USB charging stations, such as those found near airport gates, in hotels and other travel-friendly locations, could have unfortunate consequences. You could become a victim of “juice jacking,” a new cyber-theft tactic.

According to an alert from the Los Angeles County District Attorney, criminals are loading malware onto public USB charging stations to maliciously access electronic devices while they are being charged. The alert describes how malware installed through a dirty USB port can lock a device or export personal data and passwords directly to the perpetrator.

Criminals can then use any gathered information to access online accounts or sell it to other bad actors.

“Like scammers who steal debit card numbers by putting illegal card-reading devices, called skimmers, on A.T.M.s, hackers can easily rip out USB ports and replace them with their own malicious hardware,” said Michael Sedio, BBB vice president, chief operations officer and general counsel.

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