

You're at the gate. You've got your boarding pass. You're heading somewhere exciting and you just can't wait until you get there to share the news with your friends on social media. So you snap a picture of your boarding pass and post it to Facebook. Harmless, right?

Maybe not.

Because the information printed on your boarding pass actually reveals a lot more than you think.

As explained via a recent blog post by KrebsonSecurity, there are websites that can read the barcodes on your boarding pass and provide someone else access to your travel information--your phone number, frequent flyer number, and information not only about the flight in question but also all future flights booked through the same number. With access to your boarding pass, someone could even change your seat on the plane, cancel any future flights, and reset your account PIN number.

You may love your friends, but would you trust everyone you know on Facebook or Twitter with your private travel information? Didn't think so.

The takeaway here: Don't post pictures of your boarding pass on social media.

More from Smarter Travel:

Also on HuffPost: