The FBI is warning consumers against using public phone charging stations in order to avoid exposing their devices to malicious software.

Public USB stations like the kind found at malls and airports are being used by bad actors to spread malware and monitoring software, according to a tweet last week from the FBI’s Denver branch. The agency did not provide any specific examples.

“Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead,” the agency advised in the tweet.

To avoid the problem and continue using the chargers with impunity use a connecting cable without the data pins connected.
The majority of cables, mostly cheaper ones, supplied to charge devices like rechargeable battery items don’t have the data pins connected.

The way to check is simple.

25 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The way to check is simple.

OK, tell us all how please.

 

20 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

OK, tell us all how please.

 

Isn’t it blinding obvious for a non destructive test?

There are actually 2 the more definitive one requires test equipment.

and of course a destructive one.

7 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Isn’t it blinding obvious for a non destructive test?

 

No, not for me anyway. Please tell me how & stop joking around. Thanks.

41 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

No, not for me anyway. Please tell me how & stop joking around. Thanks.

@KannikaP
No joking intended, just an assumption of basic (to me) comprehension.

 

Egg sucking tutorial.
Test 1:

1) plug-in the, usually cheap, charging cable to a known good power supply..

2) check that it is charging 

3) plug the charging cable into the device you use for data transfer.

4) result 1; you get no data transfer, stop = probable success, else go to (5)

5) you get data transfer = failure (as a pure charge, no data transfer cable)

 

Test 2: Requires a multi meter and knowledge of its use in purely electrical connections and in electronics; less egg sucking instructions but still more than an electronics tech (or tech adjacent user) needs.
1) confirm continuity between each pin.

2) confirm the same with reversed polarity; to check that there are no electronics effecting continuity 

3) ensure that the pin connections are not reversed or incorrect (not an absolute requirement, but you have the meter and knowledge so why not)

4)the above will show that all pins are or are not, connected and correctly configured, that the charge pins are connected and the data pins are or are not connected.

5) for confirmation, go to Test 1

Test 3:

1) cut the cable plugs apart and look for soldered connections on the pins

2) throw away the destroyed cable and use the second spare, go to Test 1 for belt and braces.

Correct me if I'm wrong but any time I plug my phone into something other than a charger, my phone asks me if I want to allow that machine to connect.

14 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Test 2: Requires a multi meter and knowledge of its use in purely electrical connections and in electronics; less egg sucking instructions but still more than an electronics tech (or tech adjacent user) needs.

You must have very small, thin probes on your multi meter cables to get into either end of a USB charging cable.

2 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but any time I plug my phone into something other than a charger, my phone asks me if I want to allow that machine to connect.

You are probably using data transfer (more expensive, but not much) cables. 
 

Test; Allow connections, transfer data (pictures), result success = don’t use that cable without protection in public charging stations.

 

There are adapters (probably very cheap as they are trivially simple, no electronics required, to make) that don’t connect the data pins. For USB A don’t connect pins 2&3.

17 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

You must have very small, thin probes on your multi meter cables to get into either end of a USB charging cable.

Competence in use of the meter and correct probes (any auto mechanic has them) is assumed in Test 2.

if you don’t have them then 45 Baht on AliExpress is a good investment. Reminder to self, buy a set. 555

NB you can get ridiculously expensive USB condoms on Amazon For $7.49

If competent at soldering they cost a couple of cents to make.

for the paranoid or you can’t be bothered buy this 

 

 

EDIT cheaper but check with test 1 (&2 for the paranoid)

 

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

OK, tell us all how please.

 

Try connection your phone to your PC or Notebook.????

Some ridiculously expensive USB testers (around 200 THB) have a software function to disable the data transmission.

Anything advertised as Free usually is BS. But then again I ain't Woke.