Why does nobody talk about how a simple coffee shop hack can break your whole security setup?

I was at a local cafe in Bellingham about two months ago, working on a bid for a kitchen remodel. My laptop battery died, so I plugged into a public USB port by the counter to charge. Two days later, I got a notice that someone in Florida tried to log into my bank account. The port must have had a data skimmer built in, grabbing my info while it charged. Now I only use a power-only charging cable or a portable battery pack. Has anyone else had a close call like that from a place you thought was safe?

3 comments

3 Comments

haydenc101d ago

Man, that's scary. I had my credit card info stolen after using an airport charging station. It felt so normal at the time. Now I'm totally paranoid about public ports. I bought one of those little USB data blockers, the kind that looks like a short plug. It was a few bucks and just lives on my keychain. Gives me some peace of mind when I'm stuck and need a charge.

alicelopez1d ago

Yeah, those data blockers are a solid move, @haydenc10. I keep one on my keys too, and it just kills that worry. It's the cheapest insurance you can get for your phone.

kim_nelson1d ago

My cousin had her phone get super weird after using a hotel USB port. Totally makes sense to grab a data blocker like @alicelopez said!