How many times have you arrived at a restaurant or a shopping center and put your almost completely discharged or completely discharged cell phone on charge ? How many times have you found an open Wi-Fi network and, without caring where it's coming from, you just logged in and took advantage of the opportunity to browse?
If you've done the math and done it, even once, it's worth reading this article to learn about the risks of charging your phone in public places and connecting to unfamiliar Wi-Fi networks.
What types of risks are involved when charging your cell phone in public areas?
ACNN report has revealed information released by the United States FBI to its citizens regarding this issue. The FBI warned that charging cell phones in public places compromises the safety of the phone owner.
According to cybersecurity expert Liliana Zambrano, when a person charges their cell phone, tablet, or any other electronic device in a public place, they are allowing any stranger to access their device, or as it is commonly said, allowing a virus to enter or malware to be installed, allowing the attacker to know what is on their cell phone and exploit it to their advantage.
That is, a stranger can access our device as if they were the owner and know our bank details, make transfers, access pages of interest to the owner, such as their own website, or download compromising photos and files. They can also access social media and email, using them to impersonate us.
Places like airports or shopping malls are key places for this to happen.
How do cyber attackers act?
The cyberattacker operates by installing himself in a USB port on his own device, which he then charges in a public place. When he leaves, he leaves the virus installed on the charging station. When another person charges their phone in the same infected location, this facilitates the entry of the virus already there.
Typically, this is monitoring software that comes in to spy on the device's information.
Another way to act is to offer a free Wi-Fi network with a seemingly sensible name, such as the name of an airport or shopping center, to help potential users trust the free network.
By accessing this free Wi-Fi network, data theft is allowed.
What recommendations have been made by cybersecurity experts?
The first recommendation is not to charge devices in public places or access unsecured Wi-Fi networks without verifying their origin.
However, since it's not always possible to follow this first recommendation, the other recommendation is to download a mobile antivirus.
Just like you would with a laptop or office PC, get a basic antivirus for your mobile phone. This disrupts data transfer. This ensures that when you plug your phone into a power outlet, it won't transfer data.
Read everything your cell phone tells you through information boxes, often directly asking the user if they want to transfer data and charge the device at the same time, and the user answers yes, when it should be a resounding no.
If you have an Android phone, you can install Google Play Protect, developed by Google itself, although there are many other antivirus options, such as:
- AVG antivirus
- BitDefender
- Malwarebytes
- McAffe
- Norton 360
If you have an Apple phone , you have the following antivirus options:
- Norton 360
- McAffe
- Avira
You can also visit our cell phone accessories store and check out our longer-lasting batteries and safer portable chargers.