Hackers can easily download free scanning apps online and use them to their advantage
With many Saskatchewan snowbirds planning warm-weather vacations throughout the winter months, the idea of travel-safety is on the mind of everyone.
One particular safety precaution often overlooked is the safe-guarding of one's flight boarding pass.
Not only is it necessary to protect the boarding pass from becoming lost, it is also important to protect the pass from being 'hacked.'
A numeric bar code exists on each boarding pass which can contain vital information hackers may use to steal a person's identity.
Hackers can easily access a person's personal information by scanning the bar code; this can be done through one of the many online scanning apps.
Most of these apps are free and openly available online for anyone to download.
Airline safety regulators caution travelers to keep their boarding pass in sight at all times and to never leave the document unattended.
Cyber-forensic experts are also encouraging people keep their boarding passes even after travelers have flown; bar code information is active for a period of two days after a flight.
People are advised to shred boarding passes after a flight instead of merely tossing the document in to the trash in tact where hackers can easily pick it up, scan the bar code and retain a traveler's information.
Information gathered can range from name, birth date, flight number, departure and arrival destinations and flight record locators.
Hackers can also obtain accumulated flight points and transfer points to their own account.
Thu, Apr 25, 9:30 AM
