BA website discloses passenger passport numbers and D.O.B.

[Adam Laurie <adam.laurie () thebunker net>]

In January of this year I reported to British Airways that it was 
possible to recover arbitrary passengers' confidential information, 
including Date Of Birth and passport details, by simply matching a 
frequent flyer number to a surname when purchasing a ticket via their 
website. Since this information is printed on every boarding pass, any 
discarded passes can potentially provide an attacker with the 
information he needs to access the data via the website.

The problem exists because of the US Goverment's requirement for 
airlines to provide Advance Passenger Information for all passengers 
destined for their shores. It is left to the airlines themselves to 
administer the data collection systems, and, therefore, to make their 
own mistakes in the security systems that control access to that data. 
The more airlines that implement these systems, the more potential 
security holes will exist.

Full story here:

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1766138,00.html

cheers,
Adam
--
Adam Laurie                         Tel: +44 (0) 1304 814800
The Bunker Secure Hosting Ltd.      Fax: +44 (0) 1304 814899
Ash Radar Station                   http://www.thebunker.net
Marshborough Road
Sandwich                            mailto:adam () thebunker net
Kent
CT13 0PL
UNITED KINGDOM                      PGP key on keyservers

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