Why you should be wary of charging your phone in an airport
While charging stations at airports can often be life-savings before boarding a flight, it turns out these handy outlets can be leaving you vulnerable.
Many people have fought over a spot to charge up your devices at the last minute before embarking on a holiday, but next time you leave home with your phone or laptop needing some more juice, think again.
Emily Stallings, co-founder of tech retailer Casely, says that by plugging your phone into a power outlet at a public USB charging station, you're at risk of data breaches and malware infection.
"If a device gets infected, it could end up leaking sensitive information or even stop working properly," she told 9Travel.
These public USB ports have often been compromised by cybercriminals, who then use these unsecured ports to steal sensitive information transmitted between devices.
"From personal emails to financial data, the information intercepted through these compromised ports could lead to identity theft, financial loss, and other serious consequences," explains Stallings.
The best way to get around this threat, without letting your phone run out of battery, is to pack a portable charging device in your carry-on bag every time you travel.
With your own cord and power bank, it's far less likely that any sneaky hackers will be able to access your device's data.
Stallings says you can also enable security features such as USB Restricted Mode on your device, for those moments when you're desperate for a charger and have to rely on public ports.
"This adds an extra layer of protection against potential data breaches and malware infections when charging from public USB ports."
"By activating USB Restricted Mode or similar security features, you restrict data transfer over USB connections, effectively preventing unauthorised access to your device's data while charging in public spaces."
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