Why you should never charge your phone at an airport

Have you ever been waiting to board a plane, noticed your phone battery is about to conk out and looked around for somewhere to charge up? How about on a plane - ever connected your phone or tablet to the USB charging port adjacent to the in-flight entertainment screen?

If the answer is yes, then you - like many travellers - are at risk of malware infections, data breaches and financial loss. Before you connect, it's important to consider if convenient amenities are safe to use.

"One thing I would never do is charge my phone using the USB port on a plane," says Professor Dali Kafaar, executive director of the Cyber Security Hub in the Department of Computing at Macquarie University. "It's very, very risky."

Professor Kafaar explains that the USB charging stations you find in public places, such as airports and planes, pose serious security and privacy risks due to what is known as "juice jacking". USB ports can be tampered with by someone who wants to access sensitive information from devices, without the knowledge of device owners. Intercepted information can give cyber-criminals access to personal emails, financial data, passwords, photos and more.

"What that means is when you are charging at a USB station, the USB ports do not just provide power to your device, they also allow transfer of data between devices," says Professor Kafaar. "When you plug your phone into any of those charging ports, the risk is that somebody could potentially access your private data."

The second risk to digital security posed by USB ports that have been tampered with is the potential transfer and deployment of malicious software to your device.

Emily Stallings, co-founder of tech retailer Casely, says if a device gets infected by malware, it could end up leaking sensitive information to a third party or even stop working properly. "As travellers, our devices are our lifelines, but they're also prime targets for cyber threats, especially in public spaces like airports," says Stallings.

To ensure a worry-free journey, Stallings says it's essential to stay proactive and vigilant about device security. That means carrying your own power bank and personal USB adaptor, and avoiding public charging ports if at all possible. Enable security features, such as USB Restricted Mode, to limit data transfer over USB connections, and regularly update device software to ensure you have the latest bug fixes.

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Professor Kafaar agrees it is safest to avoid all public charging ports, though not always practical. Before using a port, inspect it visually to see that it has not been tampered with and that there are no additional components next to it.

If you must plug in, always travel with a "USB condom", a data blocker that ensures only power flows through the cable. Available on Amazon as well as tech retailers for under $10, they serve as an inexpensive safety measure.

"If I had no other choice than to use a public charging station, I would look for the most reputable one that was very public and well-monitored," says Professor Kafaar. "I'd avoid random USB ports in public areas of the airport, especially if they're unattended or in hidden corners."