PSA: Use only chargers you trust

[hallux]

Jeff Rossen (former Today Show contributor with the Rossen Reports segments) posted a warning video to Facebook earlier warning that the folks at a devcon event have shown a successful hack of the wall-wart power adapters for mobile devices. They've found a way to "inject" them with malware (I hate that he says "mallware") that can then allow a remote hack of your device. Bottom line - use only those power adapters you trust.

His post just confirms my trepidation of using USB ports supplied in airport waiting areas, airplanes, hotel rooms and cruise ship staterooms. When I travel I bring an Anker USB charging station with one USB-C four USB-A ports (plugs into a 110 outlet), plus Anker 16,000 mAh and Anker 5,000 mAh battery packs and refuse to plug in to those public USB ports.

Unfortunately, it was a video posted directly on his Facebook page so the best I can do is link to his page there, where you can watch the video - https://www.facebook.com/pg/rossenreports/posts/?ref=page_internal

He did not post the video to Twitter...

 

[Bla1ze]

Good advice but this stuff has been going on for years. Long enough it has it's own term now.. Juice Jacking lol. Aside from the usual warnings that pop-up around Defcon of this, it got highlighted in a larger capacity this time in part because of this O.MG cable - http://mg.lol/blog/defcon-2019/

 

[Mooncatt]

People actually use those public outlets? Any time I've seen one, it's those cheap 500mA max outlets that can't even charge a phone unless it's powered off.

 

[Morty2264]

Wow, creepy! Thank you so much for the heads-up!

 

[anon(10181084)]

Is there a way to check these ports for safety? Here at my university our main building has a student rest area in the main atrium and there are of course a gazillion public USB ports. I haven't used/trusted them because this school is literally full of nerds, including some computer science students that openly/proudly brag to me about their hefty piracy habits and visiting the illegal (darknet) part of the deep web... For all I know those ports might be rigged by some disgruntled computer science and/or cybersecurity students with Cellebrite devices or something to collect my data. And no, I'm NOT paranoid.

 

[hallux]

Is there a way to check these ports for safety?

Not that I'm aware.

 

[anon(10181084)]

Is it enough if the phone doesn't show that it is connected to a computer when you plug it in?