Kaspersky lab: ‘Charging smartphones via USB ports is not safe’

KASPERSKY LAB conducted an experiment proving that charging smartphones via USB ports on computers is insecure as it can lead to stealing data and infecting devices with malware.

“The experts have tested a number of smartphones running on Android and iOS, and found that while connected to the computer using a standard USB cable the device automatically exchanging a set of data — how exactly depends on the manufacturer, OS version, and device firmware. This can be the name and device type, manufacturer name, serial number, the firmware information, operating and file systems, etc.” – it is said in the company message.

The danger lies in the fact that these data can be used by cybercriminals, since the identification of the device allows it to determine vulnerabilities and gain control over it.

“That smartphone can be infected via the USB port, the world learned in 2014 at the conference Black Hat, and yet the issue is still not resolved. Owners of mobile devices can be seriously affected, because in this way the system can be exposed to anything from advertising to software encryption. This can make even an amateur hacker, because the necessary information can be easily found online. Such attacks are especially dangerous for the employees of large companies who responsible for making decisions,” said Alexei Komarov, the researcher at KASPERSKY LAB.

To protect a mobile device against such risks, the company recommends installing a reliable protective solution on the device, using a computer password, using only trusted charging stations and computers, turning off the device before charging it, and using encryption technology and encrypted storage.

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