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> common knowledge to never use public chargers Perhaps here on HN. Most people will plug their smartphone into any accepting receptacle. trains, airplanes, NY

> common knowledge to never use public chargers Perhaps here on HN. Most people will plug their smartphone into any accepting receptacle. trains, airplanes, NYC SmartLink, or ask the bartender if they can plug it in behind the bar. I still carry a DIY Altoids charger that takes a 9V battery (pulled down to proper volts for iPhone). In a battery emergency, my phone is simply on life support and I don't have to look for outlets that might also include a zero-day.

TheNewsIsHere 4y ago
I try to always travel with a “USB data condom”. The one I have is called a “PortaPow”, and it’s red. It was about $10 on Amazon and it’s a great investment for scenarios where I _reasonably_ trust a power-only USB port not to have been tampered with, like the built in ports on aircraft.
- beefield 4y ago
  I have thought a power bank would be a good enough condom - for my threat vectors, that is.
- cuttysnark 4y ago
  > _reasonably_ trust a power-only USB ... like the built in ports on aircraft. I'm with you, this might fall under "safe". Then again, from threads posted here and elsewhere, and through personal investigation...the infotainment systems on airplanes are an absolute disaster with regards to security and software design. They're often part of the same system as the provided USB ports. While the risk is small, there's nothing stopping 1 person from running a script that exploits some flaw in the outdated Linux distro the airline is using to manage their in-flight entertainment. There's also a chance I'm paranoid and spend too much time here, but I'm gonna stick with my Altoids.
- rsync 4y ago
  I have long used usb condoms - even on my own, trusted ports. Sometimes I just want to charge my phone from my laptop without triggering all kinds of finder and iTunes and photos interactions. Same with a car - just power, please.
  - detrites 4y ago
    Build condoms into the devices themselves via a next USB spec requiring a hardware switch to choose power-only / power+data and these kind of issues could disappear. Apple might hate it though. Then again, capacitive hardware switches could be ok.
- fortuna86 4y ago
  Can you be reasonably certain they work?
  - TheNewsIsHere 4y ago
    The one I have is designed to allow you to visually inspect the connector terminals. So at least regarding my (USB-A) ones, I can confirm only the power lanes exist.

TheNewsIsHere 4y ago

I try to always travel with a “USB data condom”. The one I have is called a “PortaPow”, and it’s red. It was about $10 on Amazon and it’s a great investment for scenarios where I _reasonably_ trust a power-only USB port not to have been tampered with, like the built in ports on aircraft.

beefield 4y ago
I have thought a power bank would be a good enough condom - for my threat vectors, that is.
cuttysnark 4y ago
> _reasonably_ trust a power-only USB ... like the built in ports on aircraft. I'm with you, this might fall under "safe". Then again, from threads posted here and elsewhere, and through personal investigation...the infotainment systems on airplanes are an absolute disaster with regards to security and software design. They're often part of the same system as the provided USB ports. While the risk is small, there's nothing stopping 1 person from running a script that exploits some flaw in the outdated Linux distro the airline is using to manage their in-flight entertainment. There's also a chance I'm paranoid and spend too much time here, but I'm gonna stick with my Altoids.
rsync 4y ago
I have long used usb condoms - even on my own, trusted ports. Sometimes I just want to charge my phone from my laptop without triggering all kinds of finder and iTunes and photos interactions. Same with a car - just power, please.
- detrites 4y ago
  Build condoms into the devices themselves via a next USB spec requiring a hardware switch to choose power-only / power+data and these kind of issues could disappear. Apple might hate it though. Then again, capacitive hardware switches could be ok.
fortuna86 4y ago
Can you be reasonably certain they work?
- TheNewsIsHere 4y ago
  The one I have is designed to allow you to visually inspect the connector terminals. So at least regarding my (USB-A) ones, I can confirm only the power lanes exist.