Summer travel season is here, and for many people that means leaving cybersecurity habits behind along with the work email. That is exactly what criminals are counting on.
But a few simple adjustments can make a big difference in protecting personal information while on the road.
Four specific travel habits deserve particular attention because they keep surfacing in security incidents, and they are relatively easy to fix.
Boarding passes reveal more than you think
That printed boarding pass or digital ticket in your hand contains far more data than what is printed on the surface. Airlines encode additional information into the barcode — including your birth date, passport number, and frequent flyer number.
For Frontier Airlines passengers, the risk runs even deeper. Anyone with a copy of that QR code can pull sensitive account information like stored credit card numbers, physical address, TSA PreCheck number, and passport number by making a request to an API that powers the company’s website, according to the report.
Even setting aside identity theft, someone who sees your ticket can cause real trouble. With your name and confirmation code, they can change your flight details or cancel your reservation entirely.
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This problem is not new, but travelers keep repeating it — posting photos of tickets on social media remains a common habit, even as security researchers have demonstrated for years how much data those images leak.
The fix: Shield your screen or printed ticket from everyone except the gate agent. Do not post an image of the pass anywhere online.
Public computers and printers are a bad bet
Using a shared machine at a hotel or other public location carries real risks. These machines can be compromised with malware that captures everything typed, including passwords. Some printers also retain copies of print jobs, which can contain personal information.
The safest approach is to skip public PCs and printers entirely. When that is not possible, use an incognito browser window and log in with a passkey instead of a password. Such keys are harder for malicious software to intercept.
Public Wi-Fi has two distinct dangers
Public Wi-Fi networks present two separate threats. First, other people on a legitimate network with you could attempt to monitor your activity. Second, you might accidentally connect to a fake free Wi-Fi network set up by an attacker.
The first scenario is less dangerous than it used to be — most website connections are now encrypted by default. But some sites still rely on unencrypted connections for certain functions, so the risk is not zero.
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Fake Wi-Fi networks are the bigger concern. These bogus hotspots can capture login details through phony sign-in pages or push malware directly to your device.
The best option: Use your cell data for sensitive activities like banking or medical appointments. When that is not possible, use a VPN when connecting to public Wi-Fi. A good VPN encrypts all your activity and hides the sites you are visiting from anyone watching the network.
USB chargers can be a vector for attack
“Juice jacking” is the term for a tactic where someone modifies a public USB charging port to access data on a phone or install malware. It works like this: a hacker alters a USB port found at airports, hotels, and other public places. When you plug in, your device can become vulnerable.
Security experts have given conflicting opinions on how serious a threat juice jacking really is.
The solution is simple: use your own USB charger. That avoids both the security risk and the possibility of electrical damage from a bad public charger.
If that is not an option, power off your phone before plugging into a public charger. A phone that is off cannot transmit data or accept malware through the connection.