Travel Tip 8
Charge with care
Travel Tip 8
Charge with care
A flat battery at the gate is stressful, but not all public USB charging ports are safe to use. Juice jacking is when criminals tamper with public ports or cables to slip malware onto your device, or copy your data while it charges. The FBI has warned travelers to avoid public USB chargers in airports, hotels, and malls for exactly this reason.
Warning signs of “juice jacking” ports
- A charging cable left plugged in and ready for you to use
- A port or kiosk that looks tampered with, damaged, or out of place
- Your device asking you to “trust this computer” when you only meant to charge it
- Unusual battery drain, or apps you don’t recognize after using a public charging point
BlackCloak’s cybersecurity travel tips
- Carry your own charger and plug into a power outlet, not a USB port
- Pack a portable power bank so you never depend on public charging
- Use a USB data blocker if you must use a public port, so only power passes through
- Say no if your device asks to share data with a charging point