Changing Other People's Flight Bookings Is Too Easy (computerworld.com)

"The security of online travel booking systems are stuck in the 1990s, according to security researchers," reports Computerworld. An anonymous reader quotes their article, which argues that the ancient systems are also "woefully insecure": This allows attackers to easily modify other people's reservations, cancel their flights and even use the refunds to book tickets for themselves, according a team of researchers who analyzed this online ecosystem... They presented their findings Tuesday at the 33rd Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg. The three major Global Distribution Systems operators...store Passenger Name Records for hundreds of millions of travelers at any given time.

Any data added or modification made to a booking is stored in their systems and all that's required to access that information is typically a last name and a six-character booking code. There are multiple access points into these systems and this includes the websites operated by airlines and travel agencies, but also third-party websites like CheckMyTrip... The booking code itself is far from secret. It's printed on luggage tags that most people throw away after each flight -- even if their entire trip has not concluded yet -- and is also embedded in the QR codes printed on tickets that an alarmingly large number of travellers photograph and post on social media websites, the researchers said.

Comments

Re:Take the bus

[Ol Olsoc]

I rode the bus a good 20 times and only had one issue where there was a guy who smelled. (and I've had that on airline flights too... so *shrugs*)

One time my wife wanted to visit her father in Florida who just had an operation. I offered to drive her down from PA, and drive back then do it again a coupe weeks later, since I had some big meetings I couldn't get out of.

She said no, she would take the bus. I told her that was the last thing she wanted to do. I pleaded, I begged a cajoled. However, she is an alpha chick, and does not take telling. So the bus she took.

After coming back into town a couple weeks later, the bus was three hours late. I asked her how the trip was.

She was thrown up on

She spent time in filthy bus stations that were populated by addicts and hookers

She was propostioned for sex several times, and thought she was going to be raped once.

She was offered drugs to either buy or exchange for a blow job on the bus.

She was offered money for her underwear.

And the reason she was three hours late? The bus driver from the last leg of her ride pulled over and went on a lost mind jeezuz rant and someone had to call and get him taken off the bus.

I did throw a shitfit and told her that if she wanted to take another Greyhound bus trip, it would be as a single parent. She is quite headstrong, but if that was all the respect I'd get after having to worry about what I knew was going to happen, fuck it .

Wasn't a fun time for her, but I gave no sympathy. Well, yeah after a week or so.