Beware of Hackers Using Public Chargers to Take Over Your Devices

IBM’s 2019 Cost of a Data Breach Report, completed by the Ponemon Institute, examined data submitted by 507 organizations in 17 industries. The report indicates that costs associated with data breaches rose 12% in the last five years. A single data breach now costs approximately $3.92 million.

“While an average of 67% of data breach costs were realized within the first year after a breach, 22% accrued in the second year and another 11% accumulated more than two years after a breach. The longtail costs were higher in the second and third years for organizations in highly-regulated environments, such as healthcare, financial services, energy and pharmaceuticals,” per an IBM press release based on the report.

Mobile devices have joined the list of targets hackers use to infiltrate network security protocols. Even public chargers pose a significant risk.

How Do Hackers Use Public Charges to Gain Network Access?

Hotels, airports and cafes are high traffic areas that offer public charging ports. This is convenient for those who wish to top off their phones, tablets and devices while they wait for their room, plane or latte.

However, hackers have figured out how to use public chargers to steal information from unprotected devices. Many of these stations have been compromised. Using them can expose your device to malware. This type of attack is called Juice Jacking.

How Can Juice Jacking Be Prevented?

Prior to the attacks, these stations were thought to be vulnerable to hackers. As long ago as 2013, Black Hat conferences revealed charging stations able to deliver malware to any iOS smartphone. In 2016, KeySweepers began to appear. These harmless-looking devices used wireless technology to record keystrokes and sniff for data on infected devices. KeySweeper reported keystrokes on Microsoft keyboards back to its authors.

How Can You Prevent Juice Jacking on Your Devices?

Follow these tips to avoid juice jacking on your laptop, phone or tablet:

  • Only use AC power outlets and avoid USB charging ports
  • Take AC or car chargers to use while traveling
  • Buy a portable charger

These tips can save you from having to debug your computer while traveling.

“If you’re not worried about the confidential business data on your employees’ mobile devices, you should be! When employees bring their mobile devices to work, you should expect some of your data to go out the door when they do. When your users leave for any reason or are laid off, it’s not always easy to take their devices and scan them to find out what data they contain,” according to Pulse Technology device management experts.

Should You Partner with Pulse Technology to Protect and Replace Your Devices?

provides all the equipment you need to run your business, such as workstations, routers, switches, servers, and other hardware. Contact us to handle your hardware procurement, recycling and disposal management.

We refresh devices that are nearing the end of their useful life. This prevents hardware failure that can leave employees without their devices for hours, days or longer

Our Hardware as a Service model helps small and midsize businesses save costs on hardware.

How Can You Get Started with Pulse Technology HaaS Today?

Pulse Technology includes HaaS in your monthly billing. This keeps payments affordable and transforms a crushing capital expenditure into an operational expense. Contact us today to find out how we can maintain your equipment as part of a larger IT infrastructure management service.