5 Comments

Fake boarding pass creator in the crosshairs

October 29, 2006 by in Random,Stupid with 5 Comments

Remember the Northwest Airlines fake boarding pass generator that Dan pointed out a few days back? According to BoingBoing, the fake boarding pass creator has had an unexpected visit by the FBI.

Christopher Soghoian today blogs that the FBI returned to his home last night in his absence with a search warrant, and seized computers and other belongings. The 24-year old computer science student is the creator of a website that generated fake airline boarding passes to illustrate a security flaw which has been documented on the ‘net since (at least) 2003.

I wasn’t one to visit the boarding pass generator site, but I’m sure quite a number of our readers did. Is anyone at all worried about the FBI randomly selecting visitors based on their IP’s?


  • Mike D

    this is unbelievable.. I’m at a loss for words. we really are losing our country

  • emory

    Mike, watch out; the thought police will get you with that kind of attitude

  • Mister Macphisto

    And send ya to the Ministry of Love, to room 101

  • Phantom Poster

    No, we’re not losing our country. Chris, with the best of intentions, violated trademark law, copyright law, and at least two federal statutes. He also suggested that people attempt to steal services from the airlines.

    So, the TSA and the FBI take exception to it (as do I, personally), and drop the hammer. How is that losing our country?

  • AlliXSenoS

    a fake boarding pass will not (as far as I understand it) get you ON a plane, because it is checked for validity at the entrance… but it will get you past airport security screening

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