It's actually very serious. Just like ATMs, power stations can look completely harmless while being incredibly dangerous under the surface. Once you connect to

It's actually very serious. Just like ATMs, power stations can look completely harmless while being incredibly dangerous under the surface. Once you connect to a system via USB, it automatically allows data transfer, which makes your smartphone vulnerable to malware and data theft. I can't speak for Android, but iOS 7 now has an automatic warning when you connect to new devices that asks if it should be trusted, presumably to mitigate this risk. However, I doubt anything less than a full hardware solution can actually eliminate the risk entirely. There's a reason why conferences like DefCon warn you explicitly not to use power stations or ATMs nearby - they can be hijacked very easily.