Identity thieves want your airline boarding pass

As Brian Krebs, who writes the well-regarded cybersecurity news site Krebs on Security, wrote on Tuesday, the barcodes found on boarding passes are chock full of information about you.

So it’s probably not a bad idea to shred your boarding pass when you’re done with it, and, of course, keep it off social media.

Phone numbers, email address, emergency contacts and billing information were also visible, along with options to change seats and cancel flights. Using a free online reader, the amateur detective was able to decode the bar code quickly.

“Besides his name, frequent flyer number and other [personally identifiable information], I was able to get his record locator”, Corey said.

Your full name, arrival and departure airports, the airline you’re flying, flight record finder and even your frequent flyer number are public domain if you go for the cheeky passport wallet pic.

If you are careless and reveal your boarding pass to your friends on Facebook, Instagram and other social networks, you are revealing your personal information as well.

KREBS: Many airlines have fallen way behind in beefing up the security of their websites and how they authenticate their customers online.

Security experts have warned that barcodes contained on aeroplane boarding passes could offer a detailed stream of information to malicious individuals, including data on travel habits and future flight plans.

An algorithm to predict where crime will strike next, a phone app that knows you are sick before you do, and the billionaire who got rich using cosmologists, code breakers and particle physicists.