Christopher Soghoian said he was simply trying to highlight a flaw in the nation’s airline security procedures when he put a tool on his Web site letting anyone create fake boarding passes, reports the Washington Post. But Soghoian has stirred a national tempest and renewed concerns about passenger screening procedures.
The Indiana University student created a web tool that allowed anyone to type in their name and flight information and print a boarding pass for Northwest Airlines. The bogus passes might help a terrorist get past the initial security checkpoints, Soghoian wrote, but probably would not let a terrorist board a plane because boarding passes are screened electronically at the gate and compared against the airline’s passenger list.
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103101313.html