Not all things glitter on the gram: You may want to rethink that airport selfie

What is the ‘gram for if not to share your #sorrynotsorry bragging moments? If setting off on an Insta-worthy trip, your first instincts may be to start posting from the airport by sharing a selfie with your boarding pass and passport. After all, what’s the harm in sharing a little of the adventure along the way? A lot, apparently.

According to cybersecurity experts from virtual private network company NordVPN, your risk of being hacked when going on holiday increases dramatically when you’ve shared information you might not realise is sensitive.

“Even if only the bar code of your flight ticket is visible in the picture, hackers can scan it and find out such information as a traveller’s full name, reservation number, passenger name record and sometimes even contact information,” says NordVPN's cybersecurity expert Adrianus Warmenhoven.

Gaining access to a passenger’s airline account means a malicious hacker may be able to use this information to steal mileage points, cancel flights — maybe even access details from payment cards by calling passengers pretending to be a representative from the airline.

Add social media to the mix and you’re providing cybercriminals a smorgasbord of information with which to exploit you.

In a worst-case scenario, this may give hackers the opportunity to sell your information on the dark web or steal a traveller’s identity.

So what’s to be done? Warmenhoven says there are ways to protect yourself, including:

1. Opting to post photos after the fact or once you’re back from holiday. It’s better not to let people know you’re not home and not to share your live location. 
2. Set your social media account settings to private. It may not be the best trick to gain followers but sharing information with your friends and family only will go a long way in protecting you from hackers lurking on the internet.
3. Refrain from sharing personal information on social media. This includes sharing details like your home or work address, telephone number, pictures with details such as your passport number and boarding pass or making status updates in which you share your live location.
4. Be careful when accessing Wi-Fi while travelling. Public Wi-Fi connections in places like hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and airports are often unsecured and may leave you vulnerable to hackers who use software on these connections to steal data. Using a VPN or your own data may protect you from these threats.

Lastly, always be wary of sharing sensitive information with anyone posing as a bank or airline official. It's better to err on the side of caution than to give out valuable information that can ruin your well-deserved trip. 

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