The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), an agency under the Ministry of Science and ICT, recently urged users to pay attention to the growing threat of personal information leakage through USB or Wi-Fi installed in public places such as overseas airports and subways.
The Korea Internet & Security Agency announced through its information protection site, “The threat of leakage of sensitive information such as personal information is increasing recently when using open smartphone charging terminals provided free of charge at overseas airports and subways or connecting Wi-Fi. Special attention is needed if you are traveling abroad or have plans.”
According to the announcement, connecting a smartphone to a smartphone charging terminal made by a hacking attacker can lead to a “Choice Jacking” attack. Choice Jacking is an attack technique discovered by a research team at Graz University of Technology in Austria last year, in which a hacking attacker installs a malicious app to steal smartphone information.
“When a user connects a smartphone to a charger made by an attacker, the attacker’s computer is registered as a ‘trusted device’ in the smartphone,” an official from the Korea Internet & Security Agency said. “As control is taken, malicious apps are installed to take away sensitive information.”
Be careful when using open Wi-Fi that is provided free of charge. This is because an attacker may install malicious programs in Wi-Fi to steal sensitive information that is entered in smartphones and laptops. Therefore, special attention is required when entering account information or payment information, the Korea Internet & Security Agency explained. The agency asked the government to update the operating system of smartphones to the latest version to prevent hacking damage. It also asked the government to use auxiliary batteries in public places such as airports and subways, and to avoid using Wi-Fi without passwords.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
