Electricity equals vulnerability. Convenience for you means convenience for a hacker.

By using a charging port your PED could be infected and compromise all your data. For example, when you plug your iPhone into your computer with the charging cord, you can download photos from your phone to your computer. With that cord and connection there’s no limit to what information a hacker could take. That includes your email, text messages, photos and contacts.

The process is called “juice jacking.” This simply means using hacked ports and your phone’s video display to record everything you look at or type in. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to tell if a port is hacked or not.

The best way to protect your phone while you are out is to make sure it is fully charged before leaving your home. Or you could take an extra step and invest in your battery-operated cell phone charger. It may not be as convenient as plugging into an available charging port but well worth keeping your information safe and secure.