On a long haul flight, I imagine that charging a phone (in flight mode) with the inbuilt USB port on the head rest would be a security risk.

Could I mitigate that risk by taking a regular USB cable and cutting the data (but not the power) cables? Or does the USB protocol need a data handshake to begin charging? Or is there another better solution?


  Could I mitigate that risk by taking a regular usb cable and cutting the data (but not the power) cables? Or does the usb protocol needs a data handshake to begin charging?


Such a cable does exist, so a data handshake must not be required.

Such cords are discussed on some Stack Exchange sites:


Micro USB cables that only charge but no data, no mounting etc
(Samsung Galaxy S)
How can I tell charge only usb cables from
usb data cables


So yes, using such a cable or making one using a DIY approach could mitigate a risk that depends on the 2 data pins. Of course, a different kind of attack where unexpected power is sent, possibly with the intent to damage the device, would still be possible.
