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Not the first time airlines have had poor security with boarding passes: https://medium.com/@da/need-a-last-minute-flight-45af88ec8df3 https://medium.com/@da/n

Not the first time airlines have had poor security with boarding passes: https://medium.com/@da/need-a-last-minute-flight-45af88ec8df3 https://medium.com/@da/need-a-last-minute-flight-45af88ec8df... https://www.wired.com/2016/08/fake-boarding-pass-app-gets-hacker-fancy-airline-lounges/ https://www.wired.com/2016/08/fake-boarding-pass-app-gets-ha... https://puckinflight.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/security-flaws-in-the-tsa-pre-check-system-and-the-boarding-pass-check-system/ https://puckinflight.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/security-flaws... http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/experts-warn-about-security-flaws-in-airline-boarding-passes/2012/10/23/ed408c80-1d3c-11e2-b647-bb1668e64058_story.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/experts-warn-about-se... And what the OP article is basically copying: https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/10/14226034/instagram-boarding-pass-security-problem-bad-idea https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/10/14226034/instagram-boardi... I don't see this changing anytime soon (although there are some tests to move towards facial recognition).

keganunderwood 9y ago
The real problem is that once again someone treated what should simply be an identifier to look up data as something more. Why not store all this information on the server that an authorized person can see when they scan a uuid on the boarding pass? Would they allow boarding of the network was down?
- germanier 9y ago
  There are procedures in place in case the network is down. I have flown with hand-written boarding passes multiple times in the past (they even had special cards for that situation laying around). On the other hand there were flights that were grounded as there was some network malfunction. I guess it depends on the specific problem they have.
- alanh 9y ago
  Can you imagine how slow boarding might be if the information needed retrieved from a distant mainframe by the scanner before it would emit its _beep_ of consent? (I agree with you, though)
hsnewman 9y ago
Is the problem the airline or the person posting it online?

keganunderwood 9y ago

The real problem is that once again someone treated what should simply be an identifier to look up data as something more. Why not store all this information on the server that an authorized person can see when they scan a uuid on the boarding pass? Would they allow boarding of the network was down?

germanier 9y ago
There are procedures in place in case the network is down. I have flown with hand-written boarding passes multiple times in the past (they even had special cards for that situation laying around). On the other hand there were flights that were grounded as there was some network malfunction. I guess it depends on the specific problem they have.
alanh 9y ago
Can you imagine how slow boarding might be if the information needed retrieved from a distant mainframe by the scanner before it would emit its _beep_ of consent? (I agree with you, though)

hsnewman 9y ago

Is the problem the airline or the person posting it online?