6 places where we should not charge our phones
Your battery is dead? Make no mistake.
It happens to all of us that we forget or don't have time to charge our phones. This can be a real problem when we are away from home. Fortunately for us, there are more and more public places that will ease our troubles and allow us to recharge the battery completely free of charge.
However, although public charging stations may seem like a welcome solution, using them can create huge problems for us. Why? "Those charging stations and USB ports can be easily modified to give criminals access to our phones, including installing malware on the devices," said James Goppel, a professor of cybersecurity at Drexel University.
Here are the most dangerous places to charge your device:
- Airports
- Railway/bus stations
- Tourist attractions
- Shopping centers
- Hotels
- Cafes
These sites are highly trafficked and criminals love them because they can reach a huge number of victims. However, it is necessary to distinguish four types of phone charging in public places and their level of security.
The safest method of charging is the socket where you will plug your phone charger (if you carry one with you). Hackers can't access your device this way, and even if the socket is damaged, the chargers of our phones have been smart for a long time, so it's unlikely that the phone's battery can suffer damage.
The second safest charging method is wireless charging. The exchange of data between the phone and the wireless charger is a simple "handshake", where the device tells the charger that it can start charging. Of course, your smartphone needs to have wireless charging capabilities.
The remaining two types of charging that you can find in public places are the USB port that you will plug your cable into or the existing USB cable that you will plug into your phone. Cyber security experts are warning us about these types of charging. Ports and cables are a frequent target for criminals, and through them, they reach their victims. The general recommendation is to avoid them, but if you have to use them, don't use them in the places listed.
Post by Bryan C.
