When you’re on the go or traveling, your cellphone may be your one connection to the rest of the world. People often conduct business from their phone, use it to keep in contact with important people, and even to instantly look up solutions to everyday problems. When a cellphone’s charge starts to get low, it can cause a moment of panic as your connectivity is threatened. You run for the nearest outlet, plugging your phone in with a sigh of relief as it begins to charge. However, experts are now saying that you may want to think twice before blinding plugging your device into a public outlet.

According to CNN, public charging ports have become a major target for hackers looking to steal information from a connected device. These cyber criminals will hack into the public outlet, allowing them to send and recieve information through the charging cord. This means that a hacker can potentially gain access to your calls, text messages, emails, photos, contacts, and even your personal information. Typically, hackers target public charging stations found in airports, conference centers, and parks. This allows them to potentially gain access to thousands of devices a day with minimal effort.

So what can you do to protect your phone from a hacked charging station? Experts say to avoid them entirely and only charge your devices at trusted locations. If you’re unable to go that long without a charge, invest in a rechargable battery pack, which will protect your data from being fed directly into a hacker’s hand.