Password-Based Loyalty Programs are a Hacker's Paradise

Frequent flier mile programs and travel rewards have long been popular for consumers and the travel brands that manage them. Unfortunately, hackers love them, too.

The travel industry was among the first to embrace loyalty programs, dating back to the 1980s. Some 40 years later, brand leaders across industries use a variety of point systems and rewards to increase customer engagement and ultimately deepen loyalty.

However, many of these "loyalty" programs are built upon dated authentication technology — membership numbers and passwords — that have become easy targets for hackers. And those hackers do the most disloyal thing possible, systematically stealing points and rewards that don't belong to them and turning them into free vacations, services, and goods.

The good news? There's a better way to protect your loyalty programs and your customers.