Do you know your Smartphone / Tablet can be hijacked when you charge them using Free Public Chargers at Airports, Hotels, Public Transports and other locations?
When you connect your Smartphone or Tablet to Public Chargers using standard USB based Cables, both Power and Data connectivity can be established between the Charger and your Phone/Tab. Using this, a malicious Charger can
a) Copy all the Files from your Phone/Tab
b) Copy all your Personal Photos and Videos
c) Copy any Passwords that you have stored on the Phone/Tab
d) Copy all Official and Personal E-Mails stored in the Phone/Tab
e) Copy Google and other Cloud sites Authentication keys, which can be used by Hackers to access your Data in Google Docs / Google Mail or other Cloud sites
f) Inject malicious codes into your Phone/Tab
Although latest Android and IOS Phones have some protection features for Data connectivity, Bugs within these applications or misconfigurations can bypass these protections.
We recommend users not to use Public Chargers.
a) Never use Public USB Charging outlets for recharging
b) Carry your Phone/Tab chargers with you. Recharge Your Phones/Tabs directly from Electrical Outlets at these locations using your own Charger.
c) Do not use USB ports in Cars to charge your phone/tab. Use the Electrical Outlet in a Car with your own Car-Charger to recharge your Phone/Tab
d) Use your own Power Banks to recharge
We are not saying every Public Charger in Airport, Hotels, Malls, Coffee shops and other Public Areas are malicious. But you will not be able to differentiate between a normal Public Charger and a modified one. So it is better to take your precautions than lose Information, money and peace.
