aGameOfThrones
10-25-2012, 05:43 PM
Barcodes on airline boarding passes can be read by readily available barcode readers and contain information used to determine which security protocols a traveler will be subject to, security researchers have discovered.
The worry is that travelers, who can print boarding passes at home up to 24 hours before their flight, could alter the barcodes to determine whether they are subjected to a conventional security check or to the less stringent, expedited-security Pre-Check procedure. That's information that could potentially give an advantage to a would-be terrorist.
Chit-chat about the security flaw has been happening in online forums since July, the Washington Post reported, but the issue only gained serious attention last week when aviation blogger John Butler said he'd discovered that the information stored on the barcode was unencrypted.
http://news.yahoo.com/spoofed-boarding-passes-could-put-terrorists-planes-231754237.html
The worry is that travelers, who can print boarding passes at home up to 24 hours before their flight, could alter the barcodes to determine whether they are subjected to a conventional security check or to the less stringent, expedited-security Pre-Check procedure. That's information that could potentially give an advantage to a would-be terrorist.
Chit-chat about the security flaw has been happening in online forums since July, the Washington Post reported, but the issue only gained serious attention last week when aviation blogger John Butler said he'd discovered that the information stored on the barcode was unencrypted.
http://news.yahoo.com/spoofed-boarding-passes-could-put-terrorists-planes-231754237.html