FBI Warns Travelers About Juice-Jacking Hacking Scheme at Airports, Hotels

by Donald Wood on April 12, 2023 (Travel Pulse)

Hackers are targeting phones at airports and hotels. (Photo Credit: tsingha25 / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning to travelers about “juice jacking,” a deceptive practice used to steal information from phones while they charge at public stations at airports and in hotels.

According to ABC Chicago, an FBI spokesperson said people should avoid using free charging stations in “airports, hotels or shopping centers” due to concerns that hackers would use the public USB ports to “introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices.”
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Scammers figured out that some smartphones use the same port for charging and data transfer, allowing them to move data between devices and steal information or install malware. Juice jacking has been a tool used by hackers for years, but the FBI is the first federal agency to address the issue.

(Photo courtesy of Shuttershock - New York Post)

To offset the possible issues associated with the charger scam, travelers are advised to bring a portable charger or external battery, carry a charging-only cable and avoid plugging devices into public wires.

Hackers also use public Wi-Fi networks in airports and other public spaces to steal information.
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Last year, research conducted by cybersecurity company NordVPN shockingly revealed that one in four travelers have been hacked while using public Wi-Fi on their travels abroad. Most of those attacks occurred while people were in transit at airports, bus or train stations.