Warning over hacked USB cables that can hijack your Gmail or Hotmail – check yours now
YOU might want to check your iPhone cable.
A TikTok star has warned of fake USB charging leads distributed by cybercrooks as a means of hacking into people's computers.
User @superintelligence_ showed that the leads look identical to official Apple ones but grant criminals access to your emails, social media accounts and more.
Sold by hacking group Hack5, the "O.MG cable" has been around for years, and a new and improved version hit the collective's online store in September.
Victims unwittingly buy them online thinking they're real cables and once they plug their phone into a computer, the hacker strikes.
"This seemingly normal USB cable is one of the most powerful hacking tools ever," @superintelligence_ told her 13,000 TikTok followers.
"Hack5 put a small computer into the cable which has enough processing power… to hack a smartphone or laptop.
"The cable also comes in different shapes and sizes, which makes it very effective hackers and very dangerous for companies or people like you and me."
The so-called O.MG Cable won't hack your iPhone, but it will take over a PC if plugged in.
It's effectively a copy of an iPhone cable but with a Wi-Fi hot spot loaded into it that the hacker can connect to.
Hackers would try to swap out your cable for the O.MG Cable without you noticing – or sell them to you on the internet by pretending they're real cables.
Once you plug it in, they only need to be within about a mile of you to access your device remotely.
The fake cable wirelessly records everything you type, including passwords and messages.
It allows the hacker to cause all kinds of trouble by snooping on your conversations, stealing your passwords, accessing your bank account and more.
Anonymous security researcher MG developed the device and it's now mass-produced and sold by hacking vendor Hak5.
Apple recommends only using accessories that Apple has certified and that come with the "Made for Apple" badge.
"To identify counterfeit or uncertified cables and accessories, look carefully at the accessory's packaging and at the accessory itself," Apple explains on it website.
"Certified third-party accessories have the MFi badge on their packaging.
"An Apple Lightning to USB cable has "Designed by Apple in California" and either "Assembled in China," "Assembled in Vietnam," or "Indústria Brasileira" on the cable about seven inches from the USB connector.
"You'll see a 12-digit serial number at the end of this text.
"A certified, third-party Lightning to USB cable usually has company branding on the Lightning-connector end."
In other news, Apple has announced that it will let customers fix their own iPhones for the first time starting next year.
The UK is fighting an epidemic of hack attacks targeting consumers and businesses, according to officials.
NASA has slammed Russia after a missile it fired into one of its own satellites forced the space station to perform an emergency swerve.
And, a 75-year-old Brit has told of his anger after scammers on WhatsApp fooled him into sending them hundreds of pounds.
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