PortaPow USB-A to USB-C Data Blocker

“Juice Jacking” is not new. It was first identified as a potential vulnerability back in 2011. It has been making the rounds in the news since. The attack is diabolically simple. It takes advantage of the USB standard at the hardware level. See photos for reference. When you plug your device into an infected USB port (or cord) at an airplane, airport, coffeeshop, or Uber, you’re putting your digital security at risk of being infected with malware that will hijack your device or, worse, lay dormant to collect and transmit your sensitive information without showing any external symptoms. To guard against juice jacking, you could follow a few simple but effective precautions: 1️⃣ Do not plug into a public USB port. 2️⃣ Do not use a USB cord from a stranger. 3️⃣ Use a portable power bank, or a wall charger (acts as buffer), and your own cord. 4️⃣ Use a USB data blocker: Simple and effective devices that work at the physical level by removing the two leads used to transfer data in and out, which leaves only the power and ground leads. 🤓 How To Test 1️⃣ Visual Inspection: This is something you can actually verify with your own eyes. A data blocker has two leads, a standard USB has four. See photos for a side by side. 2️⃣ Function Test: Another simple way to check if the blocker you received is effective is to plug it into your computer then plug a thumb drive into the blocker. If the data blocker is doing its job, your computer won’t be able to recognize or read the thumb drive because it lacks data leads. 👉 I have tested this PortaPow Data Blocker for charging and data blocking, and in my testing, it worked exactly as advertised. Final Thoughts 🧐 If you travel a lot, especially internationally, you will inevitably be in a situation where you have to use a USB port to recharge your phone. This happens often when you’re seated in an airplane and there’s only a USB port and no other sockets within easy reach. For those and similar scenarios, this little doohickey will be there to keep you safe. Just buy them, and toss them into your accessory bag for your next trip. It’s better to have them and not use them than the other way around. This a simple device, made well, and priced reasonably. I highly recommend it. Another alternative is data blockers made by Eyebloc, but those seem to be always sold out. I hope my review has helped you make a more informed buying decision 👍😊✌️ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ⚠️ One more thing Here are a few important caveats PortaPow includes with its product. - “Our SmartCharge chip detects whether your device uses the Apple, Universal or Samsung spec and sends the correct signal, ensuring the adaptor does not become a bottleneck.” - “This adaptor will not solve charging issues caused by a low quality / extra long cable (how long is extra long🤔)” - “Devices which charge using Qualcomm Quick Charge, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge, or similar standards require data transfer to be enabled and a compatible charger, and so will not charge at extra fast speeds from normal USB sockets or with a data blocker.”

I travel quite a bit for work. In my travels it's not unusual to have to recharge portable devices such as my iPhone in airports (including lounges), hotels, restaurants and even on planes and in taxis. Ever since learning about "Juice Jacking" from one of my engineering client's IT department, I have been concerned about unauthorized access to data on my devices and the installation of malware via "free" USB charging ports. Thanks to PortaPow there is a solution to prevent my devices from being Juice Jacked. I have purchased both USB-A to USB-C adapters as well as USB-C M/F cables to use during my travels. I also use them for visits to my local barista as you never know who has been messing around with the store's USB ports. I have been using the PortaPow cables for a while now and just started using the USB adapters for my latest trip to China. It's difficult to prove the kit is working since you do not get a warning about an unsafe situation as the PortaPows permanently block all data all of the time from being transmitted by the USB's data lane. To date, none of my devices have been compromised. I have also not noticed any degradation in charging speed, so I have been quite happy I now have the data blockers in my backpack all the time. One thing that I really appreciate about these PortaPow data blocker devices is that the connections to my USB plugs are very solid. Regardless of minor drag on the connections, nothing comes loose. I have now purchased a set of adapters and cables for my wife to further mitigate the possibility of compromised devices gaining access to our home network. The cost for the added peace of mind is nominal. Along with WiFi and other connection security solutions, the PortaPow Data Blocker should be considered as an integral part of ensuring device and network integrity.

I use this with my iPhone XR and a USB-C to Lightning cable. I like that I can see the data lines are missing and so it can’t possibly be transmitting data. It appears to be programmed to try to acquire the most current it can, until the voltage drops beyond a limit. This can lead it to try to use significantly more power than an outlet is rated for. In particular I would not recommend using this with a 5W power adaptor; that’s 1A and when I tried it with an Apple 5W adaptor it drew 1.5A, which is 150% of rated load and is likely to lead to overheating. (It probably should not be used with any plug-in adaptor you own, because there is no security benefit to doing that.) In other cases it is more reasonable, for example on a wall plug rated 2.2A it chooses 2.4A, only 110%, that’s probably fine.

I feel more secure knowing my data is not being hijacked. Small and durable these have earned a place in my travel pack. It’s great to be able to connect without worries.

I can't see how it could help me travel. I could see if I tried to use a strange charging port I might get some bad venerial data if I didn't use this.

Perfect to give you a sense of security against juice jacking, as well as acting as a converter between older USB A power ports in public places like airport and airplanes and your phone.

Works great. Fantastic for travel

This device does perform its most basic function of preventing juice jacking, but the listing advertises the inclusion of a smart charging chip to prevent issues with USB charging protocol communication. This either doesn't exist or doesn't work. Using four known good cables I attempted to charge my Samsung S22 Ultra from three different power sources - a dedicated 65W four port wall adapter, a USB 3.0 port on my laptop, and a portable USB battery bank. The battery bank and dedicated 65W adapter had the same result - extremely slow trickle charging (~1 hr to go from 75-85%) and a warning about a cable connection error. The USB 3.0 port on my laptop wouldn't charge the device at all, producing a warning about moisture in the USB port. Great. I'm keeping it for emergencies where it may be slightly better than literally nothing, but nobody should buy this. Maybe the other versions work better, but the USB A -> USB-C one is basically e waste. At least they didn't burn too much carbon shipping it with their "efficient packaging."