Free charging stations can hack your phone, here's how to protect yourself | Hacker News Reader

Free charging stations can hack your phone, here's how to protect yourself

techrepublic.com

12 pointssaycheese10 comments

"Even when a mobile phone is in 'charging only' (locked) mode, it can still transmit the device name, vendor name and serial number to the system behind the USB port, and more based on the platform and operating system of the phone," the Kaspersky Lab spokesperson said.

I have to say this seems like a very minor issue. Its pretty much exactly what I would think gets transmitted. No personal data really at all.

As the article says, if you assume that's are that can be extracted from a device, it's only a matter of time before you realize it is not; at which point, you may have already been hacked.

To solve this problem, those with hardware skills can take a spare USB cable and snip the data lines, leaving the power lines intact.

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab259/kvnsnyder/USB-cable...

Such a modified cable would solve the described problem -- charge the device but not accept data.

But you'd need a cable with a female end or a female-female adapter on hand.

If you twist together the two data cables android phones also charge faster on the computer (going to AC mode). (don't charge on really old PCs that could get overloaded)

Enough with the abstinence only education. Just use a condom [0].

Also inspect you condom to make sure it isn't malicious itself. Or make your own.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Syncstop-The-Original-USB-Condom/dp/B...

I use these https://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Charge-Block-Adaptor-SmartCh... - cheap and effective.

I think browsing internet from your phone is much more risk than plugging to unknown charger considering attack surface.

>> we reached out to some security experts...

Four-Tops-Itis

whoa!!! if you plug your phone into something you don't control you might get hacked!?!

stop the presses.

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