FBI warns against using free public phone charging stations

The FBI wants you to think twice before using free public charging stations for your phones, computers, or tablets.

The agency's Denver field office recently issued a warning on Twitter, saying that "bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices." This is called "juice jacking," the FBI said, and to avoid it, people should stop using "free charging stations in airports, hotels, or shopping centers" and "carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead."

Other tips from the FBI include taking precautions when connecting to public WiFi and not conducting sensitive transactions like purchases, and creating "strong and unique" passwords for online accounts. These passwords should be changed often, and the FBI warns that "using the same passphrase across several accounts makes you more vulnerable if one account is breached."

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