I think I've been "Juice Jacked." Now what?

Hi Apple community!


I am afraid I may have exposed myself to being Juice-Jacked today. I thoughtlessly charged my phone in someone's Uber, which normally, wouldn't give me much pause, but the context is very concerning. Basically, I made several crucial mistakes that give me serious reason to think my driver may have Juice-Jacked me and was trying to obtain personal information from me for future hacking. Let me explain.


First, please don't judge me too harshly. I am usually pretty savvy about phishing scams and take my phone and internet security seriously. However, I was returning from an emergency vet visit 40 minutes away, sleep deprived and frazzled with my equally frazzled dog. Long story short, my Uber driver convinced me to leave the Uber app (cancel the ride) and pay in Venmo. I see now how completely naive and stupid that was, so internet, please don't pile on me. (If you're curious, he explained that since my ride was so far and so expensive, he could offer me a less expensive fare if I paid him directly so Uber would not get a cut. I realize this is probably a completely obvious no-no to folks out there, but again, I wasn't really thinking clearly. Also, the social aspect of this is huge in that he was very sweet with my dog, then gave me a just-heart-wrenching-enough story about how much Uber takes off his fares. Plus, I had already waited 30 minutes for a pet-friendly Uber, so I was grateful this guy came through.)


He then proceeded to be very chatty with me, using my name a suspiciously frequent amount, asking me a billion personal questions, for which my defenses were not up, and sharing lots of personal info about himself, which now seems a bit contrived. Long story short, he managed to obtain my home address because he drove me home, what high school I went to because he asked in a surprisingly disarming way, my dog's name, my father's age because he talked about his father dying and then asked how old my dad was, how many siblings I have, my general line of work, and probably a few other things. So. That behavior, combined with the fact that I charged my phone in his car, has me very concerned now.


In addition, the charge cord ran into his center console, not an obvious USB port in his car. Now, yes, I know center consoles often have USB charging ports inside, but it's all the factors taken together that make this a very concerning experience.


I began to get concerned toward the last 5 minutes of the ride and so immediately upon entering my home, I googled Juice Jacking and found this page from the FCC and this article by a data security expert on Linked in. Now I'm really worried.


What exactly could he have gotten off my phone? Is it possible he could be monitoring my phone/keystrokes from afar? Or have access to my 1Password app that's on my phone? Could he have stolen all my personal photos, videos, voice memos, and notes?


I have changed my Apple ID and bank passwords, but let's face it, if he was able to access everything on my phone, since it was unlocked while it was charging, that might not make much difference. My credit is frozen and I already have an ID protection service from when my Social Security was leaked back in 2017. What else should I do?


If anyone out there knows what next steps I should take to secure my personal information, data, and finances, I'd appreciate your insights and suggestions. Please be kind and nonjudgmental.

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 17

Posted on Sep 9, 2024 8:33 PM

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3 replies

Sep 10, 2024 10:13 PM in response to ilearn.jr

UPDATE: I probably wasn't Juice-Jacked and you probably weren't either.


It turns out, while it seems most of the concern over Juice-Jacking in general is unfounded, iPhones are particularly less susceptible.


In order for any data to be transferred from your iPhone through a cable, you would have to tap "Trust" or "Allow" on a pop-up window asking you for permission to do so.


My IT guy sent me this article:



April, 2023: Should iPhone owners worry about the threat of juice jacking?


A few more relevant articles in case anyone is interested: 


April, 2023: What juice jacking and trustjacking are, and how to protect yourself


April, 2023: Actually, Charging Your Phone in a Public USB Port Is Fine

According to this article, there are no credible reports of Juice Jacking.  


May, 2023: Those scary warnings of juice jacking in airports and hotels? They’re mostly nonsense


August, 2023: Juice jacking: Is it a real issue or media hype?

Sep 10, 2024 10:14 PM in response to shoeluvr13

Thank you for your response. That is what my IT guy told me as well. I am so relieved to have an Apple iPhone. It sounds like it is highly unlikely I was Juice-Jacked. I would have had to hit "Trust" or "Allow" this device/hard-drive/computer to access my iPhone in order for any data to be pulled off of it, and no such message popped up. I really appreciate these safeguards from Apple.




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I think I've been "Juice Jacked." Now what?

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