New Choicejacking Attack Steals Data from Phones via Public Chargers

Choicejacking is a new USB attack that tricks phones into sharing data at public charging stations, bypassing security prompts in milliseconds.

If you thought using a public phone charger was safe, it’s time to think again. Despite years of updates aimed at protecting smartphones from “juice jacking” attacks, cybersecurity researchers have identified a new threat that sidesteps those very safeguards.

A new study now outlines how attackers are now using a method called Choicejacking to exploit smartphones into granting unauthorised access, often without the user realising anything happened.

From Juice Jacking to Choicejacking

Juice jacking first made headlines over a decade ago, when hackers used infected charging stations to either steal data or inject malware into connected phones. In response, smartphone operating systems began requiring users to approve any data transfer when a device is plugged into an unknown port. That change gave users the option to choose “charge ...