Got my phone cloned after using a public USB charging station at O'Hare

I was at the Chicago airport last month waiting for a connecting flight and plugged my phone into one of those free charging kiosks near gate B12. Two days later I noticed weird texts going out from my number and my bank app wouldn't open. Turns out it was a juice jacking attack where they pull data through the USB cable while it charges. Now I only carry my own power bank and use the wall outlets instead. Has anyone else run into this at airports or am I just unlucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

young.spencer7d ago

Man, that's rough but also kinda funny in a tragic way. I mean, I've definitely charged my phone at those kiosks without thinking twice, so now I feel like a total idiot. At least you got a cool cautionary tale out of it, I just got a dead battery and a minor anxiety attack. Seriously though, I'm now picturing someone in a hoodie at O'Hare just pulling data off my ancient texts about what I ate for breakfast. Thanks for the heads up, I guess my power bank is my new best friend.

palmer.jana6d ago

Wait, am I the only one who thought those airport charging stations were totally fine? I used to plug my phone in all the time, thought I was being smart saving my battery before a long flight. But yeah, reading this changed my mind completely. I never considered someone could pull data through the cable itself, I just figured it was a power source, you know? Now I feel pretty dumb for not thinking about it sooner. Your power bank plan is the way to go, honestly. I need to get one myself before my next trip.