| Juice jacking is a security exploit in which an infected USB charging station is used to compromise connected devices. The exploit takes advantage of the fact that a mobile device's power supply passes over the same USB cable the connected device uses to sync data. Juice jacking exploits are a security threat at airports, shopping malls and other public places that provide free charging stations for mobile devices. At the time of this writing, the risk of becoming the victim of a juice jacking exploit is thought to be low, but the attack vector is real and is often compared to ATM card skimming exploits from years past. Both juice jacking and card skimming rely on the end user feeling confident that the compromised hardware is safe to use. How juice jacking works Juice jacking is a hardware-focused Man in the Middle (MitM) attack. The attacker uses a USB connection to load malware directly onto the charging station or infect a connection cable and leave it plugged in, hoping some unsuspecting person will come along and use the 'forgotten' cable.
USB ports and phone charging cables are the most common targets for juice-jacking attacks. Other less common devices that may be used in this type of exploit include USB ports in video arcade consoles and portable battery power banks. How to protect against juice jacking Users can guard against juice-jacking attacks by purchasing a protective attachment called a USB condom. A condom is a device that connects to a charging cable and sits between the device's charging cable and the public USB charging station. USB condoms block connections to all the pins in the USB male connection except one - the pin that transfers power. The condom prevents the pins that transfer data from establishing a connection, while still allowing the pin that charges the device to connect. Continue reading... | 
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