What USB condoms are, what they do, and why everyone should wrap it up.
STD: Systematically transmitted data. Not what you thought I was going to say, huh? Welcome to the Digital Age, where the new generation has one more thing they need to worry about; accidentally swapping private data with someone else’s computer. Enter USB condoms and we have a catchall for what some of the younger crowd is calling “juice jacking.”
All funny business and grammar-school puns aside, unsolicited data exchange is a real thing. What’s worse, half the time you won’t even know if you accidentally got some of your data on another person’s computer. And that’s because it happens during regularly mundane exchanges, like plugging your phone into a stranger’s USB port because you were on 50% battery and really needed to watch another YouTube video.
Hey, no judgment. We all do it. But it’s the frequency with which we do it that matters, and how often we forget to use protection. The majority of all digital users practice pretty unsafe habits on a regular basis. When you’re storing important company data, client information, or other integral files, however, you have to be made aware of this reality: accidental data exchange between USBs and outside devices is a real threat.
When you plug your work USB into any old computer port for a late night work session, you’re running the risk of leaving all your private data on that computer when you pack up for the night. Nothing is safe anymore, especially the deep, dark world of the Internet.
So where do USB condoms come into place? Pretty much exactly how you imagine they would. USB condoms are simple solutions that protect against the unsolicited exchange of data between USBs and any outside device. They do it by cutting off the data pins in the USB cable, thereby only allowing the power pins to connect through. They block any data from coming through accidentally, making them, in theory, way more effective than a condom.
You can pretty much pick one of these little lifesavers up at any type of tech store or website. And you can thank me later for all the leaked data you never would have known about in your life. You’re welcome.
For zbrella Technology Consulting, I’m Christopher Clark, goodnight and good luck!
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