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Monday, December 2, 2019

This cheap gadget can stop your smartphone or tablet being hacked at an airport, hotel or cafe - ZDNet

Look, I'm not super paranoid. Really, I'm not. But there are three things that I make sure I do when I'm out and about. I seek out the best coffee I can find. I make sure I use a VPN when using public Wi-Fi, and I always make sure I use a USB data blocker, otherwise known as a USB condom

Must read: Weird but super useful Black Friday 2019 tech deals

While the risk from using public USB power charging stations at airports, hotels, and other locations might be small, a USB port is a gateway into a device, and allowing any scabby charging station access to my devices seems overall like a bad idea. Where I can I like to use my own chargers of power banks, but for those occasional times when I can't do that, I carry on my keyring a small USB data blocker.

There are a number out there, but the brand I trust is PortaPow (because I've tested them and taken them apart to see how they work). PortaPow's 3rd-gen USB data blocker blocks any and all data transfer, but the built-in chip detects the type of device which is connected and swaps between Apple, Universal and Samsung charging specifications, thus enabling the fastest charge possible. 

PortaPow 3rd-gen USB data blocker

PortaPow 3rd-gen USB data blocker

There's also a USB-C version of the 3rd-gen data blocker available.

And, for the ultra-paranoid, PortaPow has a "pure" data blocker that contains no electronics at all other than a wire bridge for the power, and even has a see-through case so you can be sure there are no shenanigans going on.

Small, easy to carry, and offering good piece of mind.

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"can" - Google News
December 02, 2019 at 04:00PM
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This cheap gadget can stop your smartphone or tablet being hacked at an airport, hotel or cafe - ZDNet
"can" - Google News
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