- The TSA is warning flyers to not use airport USB chargers. Doing so, it says, could result in malware infecting your phone or other device. It’s also warning against using airport Wi-Fi.
Your flight has been delayed—or maybe you played a bit too much Candy Crush on the last leg of your flight. Either way, your phone needs a recharge, and the USB port at the airport seems an easy way to solve that problem.
Not so fast.
The Transportation Security Administration is warning people not to charge their devices at airport USB ports because of the potential of accidentally loading malware onto your phone.
“Hackers can install malware at USB ports (we’ve been told that’s called ‘juice/port jacking’),” the TSA wrote on Facebook. “So, when you’re at an airport do not plug your phone directly into a USB port. Bring your TSA-compliant power brick or battery pack and plug in there.”
The advice mirrors what security experts have been urging for quite some time. The FBI and FCC issued a similar warning two years ago.
The TSA didn’t stop there. The agency also warned people about using public Wi-Fi in airports and other locations, with an added warning to never make online purchases while using it. The unsecured nature of those hotspots makes it an easy target for hackers to pilfer your information.
The warnings come as the TSA is increasing the use of facial-recognition technology at security checkpoints. Critics have warned that practice could pose risks of its own.
In a February letter to TSA, five senators—four Democrats and an independent who is part of the Democratic caucus—demanded the agency stop the program, saying: “Increasing biometric surveillance of Americans by the government represents a risk to civil liberties and privacy rights.”
The TSA says it’s not currently storing the biometric data it collects.