FBI Warning: Why You Should Not Be Charging Your Phone In Public Places!
I am a stickler about keeping my phone charged. There are two types of people in this world, I am that person. If my phone gets below 90% I am freaking out because in my mind it is almost out of battery. So what to do at that point? Frankly find a place to charge your phone and take care of business.
However, be careful WHERE you charge your phone because the FBI just issued a new warning.
FBI ISSUES NEW WARNING ABOUT CHARGING YOUR PHONE IN PUBLIC PLACES:
I'm talking about the public charging stations where you insert your USB cord directly into a port. Who knew this was a no-no?
I do this just about every time I'm at an airport, if my phone battery is low and I have my charger on hand, boom just plug it in! In places like airports, while out shopping, dining at your favorite restaurant, and even hotels, we are advised to be extremely cautious.
WHY DOES THE FBI WARN AGAINST CHARGING YOUR PHONE IN PUBLIC PLACES?
They say that bad guys have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices.
Apparently charging your phone in public ports gives hackers access to your device, be it a laptop or cellphone.
DO I AVOID CHARGING MY PHONE IN PUBLIC PERIOD?
There is a loophole. Here is what you are advised to do, just bring your full charging cable. Cord, brick, basically the original charger your phone came with, if you have it. Or buy one that has both, the USB port is the problem. There aren't any issues with charging through a plug, it's just when you stick your cable directly into a USB port. Good to know!