- The OSOM Privacy Cable protects you from “juice jacking” at public USB outlets.
- However, few public outlets support USB-C, and you must remember to flick the switch.
- It would be much easier to save $30 and use a traditional wall plug instead.
Recently, the FBI sent out a warning about “juice jacking.” This term refers to criminals accessing smartphone data through publicly accessible USB outlets. Essentially, you plug your phone into an outlet at an airport or train station, but instead of just getting a top-off for your battery, a rogue device in the outlet steals your data.
In response to this, OSOM — the company spun off from Essential’s demise — has released a solution. The OSOM Privacy Cable, shown above, is a $30 USB-C cable with a built-in switch. A flick of the switch forces the cable to shut down all data streams, which means your phone will only get power from a public outlet. In other words, if there is a rogue device in that outlet that wants to steal your data, it would be thwarted by this cable.