Digital Smarts - The Case Against Borrowing Charging Cables and Public Outlets
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Charging cables for smartphones, tablets and laptops can expose the devices to cyberattacks and shouldn't be shared, experts warn. The cables, as well as public USB charging stations in places such as airports, can be infected with malware or modified to give hackers access. “Being careful about what you plug into your devices is just good tech hygiene,” says one expert. “Think of it in the same way that you think about opening mail attachments or sharing passwords. In a computing context, sharing cables is like sharing your password, because that's the level of access you're crucially conveying with these types of technology.”
With these risks, it might be time to consider investing in a portable power bank.