The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cyber Security Council has warned travelers who charge their devices at unsecured public charging stations that they risk exposing their personal data to hackers, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Sunday (23/11).
WAM quoted the council as saying that 79 percent of travelers who use untrusted public charging stations are at risk of data breaches because some of these stations may contain malicious software or hidden systems that could trigger "juice jacking" attacks.
The attack exploits a media or image transfer protocol that is automatically activated when a device is connected.
The council said ignoring basic cybersecurity measures could lead to data and password theft, or allow malware to be installed on the phone without the user's knowledge.
According to WAM, the council listed several indications a device may have been hacked, including rapid battery drain, slow app performance, repeated system crashes, and the appearance of unknown icons or messages on the screen.
