Central government warns not to use USB phone charging ports in public places. It is advised not to use the charging ports at the airport, cafe, hotel, bus stand etc. The IT Ministry has warned that there is a possibility of misuse by cyber criminals. The method of hacking using USB is called juice jacking.
USB ports for charging and preprogrammed data cables are likely to be used by hackers to exfiltrate information. The fact that most people use the same cable for charging and data transfer is more likely to be a scam.
Hackers steal passwords used for banking, social media profiles and personal data and gain access to personal accounts. Depending on how long a device is plugged into the cable port, a very large amount of data can be compromised.
In juice-jacking attacks, the user does not know that his personal information has been stolen. A phone or computer can be tampered with by installing malware through juice-jacking.You can report cybercrime at www.cybercrime.gov.in or by calling 1930.
