Charging the phone away from home
is a common practice for many, although it is
more dangerous than it seems,
to the point of becoming a possible
cyberthreat
.
The
FBI
recently warned that free mobile device charging stations are a
latent cyber threat
, as posted on its official Twitter account.
One of the most important security organizations in the world put on alert more than US citizens, mainly those who are in
airports, hotels and shopping centers
.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Denver, Colorado, warned of the technique used by hackers
to
introduce malicious programs (
malware
) and surveillance to electronic devices through public USB ports.
Charging your cell phone away from home: the FBI warning
"
Avoid using free charging stations
at airports, hotels, or shopping malls. Cybercriminals have figured out how to use public USB ports to introduce
malware
and surveillance
software
onto devices.
Bring your own charger and USB cable, and use an electrical outlet in your place
," they wrote from the security agency.
The FBI is not the only one warning of this danger;
so did the
Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) on its website, noting that hackers can load
malware
into USB ports to "maliciously" access devices, a practice the agency calls 'juice jacking'.
In this way, cybercriminals can
acquire personal data and passwords
, for personal use or to sell to third parties.
The FCC recommends
carrying the USB cable itself
, through which there is no such danger.
USB charging stations, a gateway for cybercriminals.
The Federal Communications Commission already warned of this type of fraud in 2021. "If your battery is running low, be aware that charging your electronic device at charging stations with free USB ports [...] could have unfortunate
consequences
. You could become a victim of 'juice jacking' [extraction of juice, in Spanish],
a new cyber robbery tactic
," the agency highlighted.
"Malware installed via a dirty USB port can brick a device or export personal data and passwords directly to the offender," they added.
Furthermore, they reported that cybercriminals can even
give away infected cables
as promotional giveaways.
However, despite the alarms raised by the federal government, it remains unclear how frequent these attacks really are.
Using the cell phone while charging damages the battery: myth or reality?
USB charging station
Cell phone batteries
work very well at first but over time their performance decreases, they lose efficiency and duration
.
Various tricks can be used to extend battery life as much as possible, although there are also many myths about it.
One of the most widespread theories to avoid damaging the useful life of the batteries is
not to use the cell phone while it is charging
, nor to leave it connected at night.
That's right?
Everything seems to indicate no
.
Some time ago, it could be possible that using the phone while charging was harmful, but in the middle of 2021 batteries, like phones, have come a long way.
Therefore, what was a reality gradually mutated into a myth.
Therefore, the most fearful users
can use their mobile phones without any problem while charging
.
The only drawback is that your mobility will be reduced by the length of the charging cable, which is usually not very long.
Although to negotiate this small inconvenience there are many portable chargers.
Despite the fact that it has been shown that the batteries do not break down for this reason, the manufacturers do recommend that
during the first ten minutes of charging, more or less, the mobile be left alone
.
SL
look too
WiFi: the objects that we all have at home and should never be near the router
Having bluetooth always activated, a very bad idea: these are the reasons
