Miami International Airport, Recharge bar, charging station for electronics. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images

The FBI recently warned consumers against using free public charging stations, saying that bad actors have managed to hijack public chargers that can infect devices with malware, or software that can give hackers access to your phone, tablet or computer.

“Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers,” a tweet from the FBI’s Denver field office said. “Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead.”

The FBI offers similar guidance on its website to avoid public chargers. The bulletin didn’t point to any recent instances of consumer harm from juice jacking, and the FBI didn’t immediately return a request for comment on what prompted the reminder from its Denver office.

The Federal Communications Commission has also warned about “juice jacking,” as the malware loading scheme is known, since 2021.

Consumer devices with compromised USB cables can be hijacked through software that can then siphon off usernames and passwords, the FCC warned at the time. The FCC told consumers to avoid those public stations.

You May Also Like

Apple is encroaching on Facebook’s territory like never before with new social features

In this article FB AAPL Apple Share Play Source: Apple Starting this…

Elon Musk predicts mild 18-month recession, teases possible share buybacks

In this article TSLA Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures as he visits…

Intel’s horrible quarter revealed an inventory glut and underused factories

In this article INTC Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Intel CEO…

It just got harder and less profitable to mine for bitcoin as algorithm adjusts

Getty It just got harder and less profitable to mine for bitcoin.…