Your Boarding Pass Contains Sensitive Information

Categories Your boarding passes may seem like just another bit of junk paper to toss as soon as you are finished with it, but those boarding passes contain information that can be useful to bad guys and harmful to you.

The vulnerability in these passes lies in the QR code, the square bit filled with unintelligible squiggles.  QR stands for "quick response" and QR codes can do lots of nifty things. 

But the QR code on boarding passes encodes personal information about you - the traveler!

Anyone with a QR scanner on an iPhone or Android smartphone can scan that code and gain access to your personal information.  That information can, in turn, be used for all sorts of nefarious purposes.

Here's more, courtesy of USA Today-

 

Boarding Passes - Dos and Don'ts:

Here are some tips from security experts

• DO keep your boarding passes safe and on your person until such time as you can dispose of them safely.
• DO NOT leave boarding passes lying around while in transit.
• DO NOT take a smartphone photo of your boarding passes and post them online.
• DO NOT toss your boarding passes into public accessible waste receptacles.
• DO dispose of your boarding passes in a way that minimizes the chances of them becoming compromised.  
• DO shred your boarding passes for maximum security.