Alert! New flaw found in fast charger that can wreck your smartphones

Fast charging is slowly becoming the most talked about feature on smartphones with companies consistently pushing the tech and setting new standards. However, it also exposes your smartphone to new threats. A new flaw has been found in fast chargers that can wreck your smartphones, leaving them of no use. 

Detailed by Tencent’s Xuanwu Lab, a vulnerability called BadPower can modify the firmware of some fast chargers. The vulnerability corrupts a fast charger and effectively stops its chip’s firmware and the charging device from agreeing on a set voltage. While some chargers can push up to 20 volts, the others can only accept 5V. 

In case a smartphone is overloaded with more voltage than it can handle, researchers found that they could even burst into flames. The researchers used a “special device disguised as a mobile phone” to corrupt a fast charger’s firmware but believe that the impact could be the same on phones, laptops, and other devices. 

WATCH Zee Business TV LIVE Streaming Online

BadPower may not seem as invasive as data-stealing malware or ransomware, but it does demonstrate how one infected device or one corrupted fast charger could physically destroy a number of others.

A total of 35 fast chargers were tested by the researchers, out of which 18 came out vulnerable to BadPower. Of those 18, 11 could be corrupted using “digital terminals” or phones and other devices that support fast charging. 

The manufacturers of these chargers were not revealed. They suggest users to not share chargers with others. 

The vulnerability has been exposed at a time when companies are consistently pushing for faster charging technologies. While 30W fast chargers have become common with most smartphones, some companies have unveiled chargers that support over 100W charging.