Travelers are being warned not to post photos of their vacation on social media in their absence — and not to upload photos of their boarding passes at all.
Vacation photos can signal to criminals that there’s an empty house to target, while boarding passes contain personal information that hackers can use to ruin a vacation, says a cybersecurity expert from NordVPN.
“Even if only the barcode of an airline ticket is visible in the photo, hackers can scan it and extract information such as a traveler’s full name, reservation number… and sometimes even contact details,” says Adrianus Warmenhoven of NordVPN.
He explains that after scanning the barcode, hackers can use the data to steal money from payment cards, access a passenger’s airline account, steal their miles, change details for upcoming flights – or cancel them – or even steal their identity.
Warmenhoven says a hacker could call a traveler posing as an airline representative during their trip and ask for credit card details to confirm a return flight.
Travelers are being warned not to post photos of their holiday on social media in their absence – and not to upload photos of their boarding passes at all
And cybercriminals can gather more information about their victim on social media and then try to call the airline posing as a traveler, Warmenhoven warns.
He says boarding pass information and other valuable details found online can help criminals trick even the most secure travel agents or airlines into sharing their customers’ information.
He adds: “After criminals collect this massive amount of data on their victim, they can continue to sell on the dark web or, worse, steal the victim’s identity, allowing the hacker to commit fraud, such as opening credit card bills or making unauthorized purchases. .’
A safe way to share vacation photos online
“While posting your boarding pass is never secure, there are ways to share your holiday with your followers and stay safe online at the same time,” says Warmenhoven.
Here he reveals how…
1. Always post pictures after you get back from vacation. It’s better to put off posting photos or information that indicates you’re on vacation while you’re away. Don’t let your followers know that your house is empty.
Holiday snaps can tell criminals that there’s an empty house to target
2. Make sure your account settings are set to private. One of the most important pieces of information you should know before posting anything online is who you are sharing your information with. Make sure your account settings are set to private and your messages are only visible to your friends rather than everyone on the internet.
3. Never share personal information on social media. Remove personal information, such as your home address and phone number, from your profile pages, as they are easily accessible there. Do not make status updates by sharing your location. And never post pictures of your passport, airline tickets or other documents.
4. Be careful with free public wifi. If you finally decide to post something online while you’re abroad, make sure your connection is secure. Cafés, shops and hotels offer unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Users should be particularly careful when connecting to these networks as they can be easily monitored. Hackers can position themselves as a Wi-Fi hotspot or use special software to steal data from unsecured networks. One of the best ways to use public Wi-Fi securely is to install a VPN (virtual private network).