2023-05-07 17:26:37
Par Martin Leduc
Published on
updated on 7 May 23 at 19:27
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Plugging in your phone while at McDonald’s or waiting for your train would be dangerous? It is, in any case, what suggested, at the beginning of April, the FBI of Denver in the United States.
Dangerous in the sense that it would now be possible to be hacked through this.
The United States is far, you will tell us. But are we safe in France?
Asked by actu.fr, Jean Jacques Latourdirector of the platform’s cybersecurity expertise Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr confirms that we could be concerned even if: “to (my) knowledge, never a case of this kind has been revealed in France”, he certifies.
A risk that exists
However, can you plug in your phone anywhere without fear? Nothing is less sure. “Just because we don’t know about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It is very difficult to know where a virus“, warns the expert.
When complaining about piracy, we tend to think of an attachment in an email, for example.
Steal data to resell it
But how does it work then? Well, you see these charging stations starting to pop up all over the place. Shopping centers, train stations, airports, fast food… Now, you can charge your phone from almost anywhere, and without necessarily having your cable or your transformer.
It is precisely the charger made available that may have been trapped. “Whether it’s the cable or the terminal itself”, specifies the director of cybersecurity expertise.
“Trapped” in the sense that rather than being recognized as a charger by your phone, it will be recognized as another device capable of injecting a virus.
The idea behind it all? Steal the data and then resell it, or use it for other malicious purposes (demanding a ransom in exchange, for example).
“It can be interesting, for a hacker, to trap terminals in hotels frequented by businessmen, for example. Data is valuable here. »
How to avoid disappointment?
As this kind of trap is non-selective, anyone can be hacked. And even if you have nothing to hide, getting hacked is never pleasant. So, how to guard against it?
In the world of cybercrime, things are often controlled remotely. Going to all the F1 hotels in the city to trap catches is not profitable.
As the device is recognized as an external device, the phone will necessarily request the authorization of its owner before opening access. In this case, you must remain attentive and do not click on “yes” without being sure of the cable or the terminal.
Then, “you have to have your own charger, and your own transformer, even if the risk is not major”, advises Jean-Jacques Latour. And finally, as far as possible, it is necessary to privilege the electrical socket to connect its cable, to the detriment of the USB socket.
Otherwise, it’s good to know: a good old external battery is unlikely to have been hacked.
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