TSA's plea: Don't make these airport Wi-Fi and public charging mistakes this holiday

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Public USB ports may install malware through "juice-jacking" techniques.
• Unsecured airport Wi-Fi can expose sensitive personal and financial data.
• Use personal power banks and VPNs to ensure device security.

The next time you travel through an airport, you should probably be cautious about using the public Wi-Fi or USB charging ports, according to the TSA.

In a reminder posted on Facebook earlier this year, the TSA warned that while these freebies are designed to be useful, they can actually be dangerous if a fellow traveler has bad intentions.

Also: How to use public Wi-Fi safely: 5 things to know before you connect

Using a process called juice jacking, someone can install software on these airport charging ports that automatically transmits data -- including passwords and other sensitive information --  from your connected device. In some ...