Do Not Charge Your Phone at Public Stations, Experts Warn

Do Not Charge Your Phone at Public Stations, Experts Warn

For a long time, smartphones have had a built-in feature that saves us against unauthorized access through USB. In Android and iOS, pop-ups ask us to confirm access before a data USB connection is established to transfer our data. 

But this defense is not enough to protect against “juice-jacking” — a hacking technique that manipulates charging stations to install malicious code, steal data, or enable access to the device while plugged in. Experts have found a severe flaw in this system that hackers can exploit easily. 

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a serious loophole in this system that can be easily exploited. 

Hackers using new technique to hack smartphones via USB

According to experts, hackers can now use a new method called “choice jacking” to make sure that access to smartphones is easily verified without the user realizing it. 

First, the hackers deploy a feature on a charging station so that it looks like a USB keyboard when connected. After that, through USB Power Delivery, it runs a “USB PD Data Role Swap” to make a Bluetooth connection, activating the file transfer consent pop-up, and approving permission while acting as a Bluetooth keyboard. 

The hackers leverage the charging station to evade the protection mechanism on the device, which is aimed at protecting users against hacking attacks with USB pe

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This article has been indexed from CySecurity News – Latest Information Security and Hacking Incidents

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