Mobile charging stations have cropped up across urban centers and in high-traffic locations in recent years, a convenient resource for reviving dying phone batteries, but the FBI is issuing a new warning against using the hubs.
The agency cited "bad actors" looking to prey on unsuspecting targets by compromising USB ports on the charging hubs to infect plugged-in devices with malware and monitoring software.
"Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead," the FBI said in a tweet.
The agency's warning isn't the first issued to the general public about the potential hazards of public charging stations. In 2021, the FCC issued a "juice jacking" warning as one of the newest cyber-theft tactics.
"Cybersecurity experts have warned that criminals can load malware onto public USB charging stations to maliciously access electronic devices while they are being charged. Malware installed through a dirty USB port can lock a device or export personal data and passwords directly to the perpetrator," the FCC said at the time.
President Donald Trump wants his “big, beautiful” bill of tax breaks and spending cuts on his desk to be singed into law by Independence Day. And he’s pushing the slow-rolling Senate to make it happen sooner rather than later. Trump met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the White House early this week and has been dialing senators for one-on-one chats, using both the carrot and stick to encourage them to act. But it’s still a long road ahead for the bill. Senators want to make changes to protect Medicaid and to make sure some tax breaks become permanent. Elon Musk called the whole bill a "disgusting abomination.”
