Public chargers for smartphones, tablets and other devices, Urban furniture has become a necessary element for many people. Whether due to an oversight before leaving home, because it took us too long at work (or for an aperitif with friends) or for any other reason, having charging stations strategically placed in cities and towns, some even in public transport, can make the difference between us being able to stay connected or, conversely, experiencing a sudden recession at the end of the 20th century, which is not really that far away, but was significantly different from today.

The installation of public chargers was in many cases nothing more than a response to an alternative plan that many users were already using, which is none other than look for outlets to plug your own chargers into. The advantage of chargers is that, yes, when using them, they cannot alert us to misuse, which happens with plugs, in addition, they allow us to carry only the connection cable, not the charger.

I know it is often said that we have developed an excessive degree of dependency, but it is undeniable that staying connected it provides us with a number of advantages and comfort, from a banal but pleasant way of listening to music to a communication tool that can change complex situations. It is true that we could do without smartphones, but it is also true that it would mean giving up in an unnecessary way all the good things that they have brought to our lives.

Of course, not everything is good. But don’t worry, this time I’m not going to talk about device dependency and so on, no, this time I’m going to talk about security, or security issue to be more precise. As we can read on NBC News, The FBI has issued a warning about the dangers of public chargers, to the point of recommending that those found in airports, shopping malls, hotels, etc. should not be used. Reason? That cybercriminals have discovered ways to use public USB chargers to introduce malware and monitoring software into devices that connect to them.

Although the FBI is limited to the United States, the truth is that this threat is globaland in fact it is nothing new, although we can understand that it has increased substantially, which led to the need to issue the mentioned warning-recommendation.

Users with little or no technical profile may never (or practically never) connect their smartphone to a computer to transfer data, restore backups, etc., but the truth is that the USB-C port (or Lightning in the case of the iPhone, at least until the arrival of the iPhone 15) aIt’s a charging port as well as a data portso what looks like an innocent mobile charging connection can actually become something much more dangerous.