Using the appropriate software and following stringent processes and procedures when it comes to the prevention of fraud and identity theft is certainly essential for businesses, but they might also like to remind their customers of the importance of being vigilant themselves in this regard as well.
New research from cyber security firm SureCloud has revealed that while it may be tempting to share photos of boarding passes on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, the barcodes can easily be read and scanned by criminals – which means they can then steal personal information and even possibly gain access to airline accounts and make changes to flight bookings.
Barcode scanning mobile apps are easy to download from app stores and information like someone’s full name, document verification number and airline frequent flyer account number can all be accessed using an image of a boarding pass if posted to social media sites.
When wider open-source intelligence techniques were also brought in, those involved in the study were able to obtain driving licence numbers, home addresses, middle names and dates of birth. From there, it would be simple for a hacker to then carry out identity fraud or take over someone’s existing accounts.
“Posting photographs of boarding passes on social media is a popular trend. There are currently more than 108,500 posts on Instagram under the hashtag #boardingpass.
“Although some users obscure printed details such as their full name, users commonly leave the barcode on display, thinking it can only be scanned at the airport, but anyone can easily scan the code themselves to extract data, even from an image posted on social media,” Luke Potter – SureCloud’s cyber security practice director – said.
Jet-setters need to make sure that their electronics and personal data are both kept safe while they travel, and it’s important to remember that devices can easily be stolen or hacked. Taking basic precautions can do an awful lot in this regard, however, so avoid using public WiFi connections, always use a virtual private network when going online, use password managers and never reuse old passwords.
Strong firewalls and good antivirus software can also really afford an extra level of protection – especially important if you travel a lot for business, since your information will be inherently more valuable than that of others. Whole disk encryption is also advisable and you can leave this running in the background on devices, without you even being aware of it. And perhaps look into the likes of end-to-end encryption and secure cloud storage for communications and other work you may have to do while away.
