Boarding passes facilitate identity theft

17 Apr 2016 · 2 min

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2:05

In a consumer news segment, reporter Speaker A warns travelers that boarding passes can be a source of identity theft. Security expert Robert Siciliano explains that the barcode on a boarding pass encodes personal data such as name, travel itinerary, TSA PreCheck numbers, and frequent‑flyer account identifiers. Using readily available smartphone barcode‑scanner apps, he demonstrates how quickly this information can be extracted. He notes that criminals could hijack frequent‑flyer accounts to steal miles, points, and potentially gain access to credit‑card data and other personal details. The segment advises travelers to shred boarding passes (especially the barcode), use electronic boarding passes on phones, and ensure all related accounts have strong passwords to mitigate the risk.

Chapters

Well, school vacation is just around the corner, and that means many of you will be heading to the airport. But before you go, there's a warning about a different kind of identity theft involving your boarding pass. Your boarding pass lets you hit the friendly skies, but that little piece of paper could be the ticket for identity theft.
What most people don't realize is their boarding pass actually has sensitive account information, uh, data that If it fell into the wrong hands, could be used to steal your identity.
And travelers we spoke with at Logan Airport are making a common mistake.
Usually I just throw them away.
I throw it out.
Throw it away when I get to the hotel. Oh, I just throw them away when I get home.
Hotspot Shield security expert Robert Siciliano says even if you rip up your boarding pass, your information can still be vulnerable.
If all a criminal has access to is the barcode, they can still get full-blown access to all the information contained in the boarding pass.
Easy-to-download scanner apps for smartphones make it easy to crack barcodes with just a few clicks. Siciliano showed us how in just seconds he was able to find personal information embedded in the barcode.
There it is.
The scan found the passenger's name, travel plans, TSA PreCheck account numbers, and frequent flyer numbers.
If a criminal has access to your frequent flyer account, they can actually steal your Miles, they can steal your points, and they can use that as money.
Robert warns that if hackers can crack your frequent flyer account, that can open the door to other types of identity theft.
They could get access to all your credit card data, all your itineraries, other personal and private information that if it fell in the wrong hands could cause you all kinds of problems. The best advice is to shred your boarding passes and to make sure that all of your accounts are properly password protected.
And Robert tells us to make sure your boarding pass is completely shredded, especially that barcode, and says the way to keep your boarding pass information safe is to use electronic versions on your smartphones.