Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
You may think that your physical passport, boarding passes, and ID cards are protected from theft as long as you keep them safe and secure. But that's not necessarily the case. If those documents are scanned or stored in the cloud, they're just as vulnerable as other types of files.
Also: I never travel without these 5 security gadgets and accessories. Here's why
A new report from NordVPN describes how your travel documents can be accessed and exploited and what you can do to better protect them.
How your travel documents end up for sale on the dark web
Based on a joint project between NordVPN and international eSIM provider Saily, the report uncovered the following ways that your passport and other travel documents can end up for sale on the dark web.
Info-stealers . Are electronic copies of your sensitive travel documents stored or synced on your mobile device? If so, hackers could deploy malware designed to steal those files.
. Are electronic copies of your sensitive travel documents stored or synced on your mobile device? If so, hackers could deploy malware designed to steal those files. Compromised travel sites . Airlines and travel agencies often scan your passport and other files to store them electronically. A criminal who hacks into a vulnerable server or website can access those scans and hawk them on the dark web.
. Airlines and travel agencies often scan your passport and other files to store them electronically. A criminal who hacks into a vulnerable server or website can access those scans and hawk them on the dark web. Fraudulent travel sites . Criminals can also set up phony websites that look like legitimate airline check-in pages. Using the right phishing techniques, they can trick you into providing personal information and uploading your travel documents.
. Criminals can also set up phony websites that look like legitimate airline check-in pages. Using the right phishing techniques, they can trick you into providing personal information and uploading your travel documents. Unsecured cloud storage . Do you ever save your travel documents in the cloud for convenience? If the access isn't secure or the file permissions are too loose, those documents are easily accessible. In the report, NordVPN cited a trick called Google dorking in which criminals use advanced search queries to track down exposed files.
... continue reading