To Avoid the Day-Trippers at the Palace of Versailles, Book a Night in Town
It was a suitably theatrical introduction to a stay in Versailles, known to most travelers for the extraordinary Palace of Versailles. Years before, I'd joined the armies of day-trippers on the 15-minute train ride from Paris, and fought alongside them through the 2,300-room estate, which sees almost as many visitors as the Louvre. But, recently, a friend from Versailles, a community of around 83,000 people, had suggested I stay overnight for a calmer, more immersive experience.
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WIRED
19 hours ago
- WIRED
A Premium Luggage Service's Web Bugs Exposed the Travel Plans of Every User—Including Diplomats
Jul 24, 2025 12:00 PM Security flaws in Airportr, a premium door-to-door luggage service used by 10 airlines, let hackers access user data and even gain privileges that would have let them redirect or steal luggage. Photo-Illustration:An airline leaving all of its passengers' travel records vulnerable to hackers would make an attractive target for espionage. Less obvious, but perhaps even more useful for those spies, would be access to a premium travel service that spans 10 different airlines, left its own detailed flight information accessible to data thieves, and seems to be favored by international diplomats. That's what one team of cybersecurity researchers found in the form of Airportr, a UK-based luggage service that partners with airlines to let its largely UK- and Europe-based users pay to have their bags picked up, checked, and delivered to their destination. Researchers at the firm CyberX9 found that simple bugs in Airportr's website allowed them to access virtually all of those users' personal information, including travel plans, or even gain administrator privileges that would have allowed a hacker to redirect or steal luggage in transit. Among even the small sample of user data that the researchers reviewed and shared with WIRED, they found what appear to be the personal information and travel records of multiple government officials and diplomats from the UK, Switzerland, and the US. 'Anyone would have been able to gain or might have gained absolute super-admin access to all the operations and data of this company," says Himanshu Pathak, CyberX9's founder and CEO. 'The vulnerabilities resulted in complete confidential private information exposure of all airline customers in all countries who used the service of this company, including full control over all the bookings and baggage. Because once you are the super-admin of their most sensitive systems, you have have the ability to do anything.' Airportr's CEO Randel Darby confirmed CyberX9's findings in a written statement provided to WIRED but noted that Airportr had fixed the vulnerabilities a few days after the researchers made the company aware of the issues last April. 'The data was accessed solely by the ethical hackers for the purpose of recommending improvements to Airportr's security, and our prompt response and mitigation ensured no further risk,' Darby wrote in a statement. 'We take our responsibilities to protect customer data very seriously.' CyberX9's researchers, for their part, counter that the simplicity of the vulnerabilities they found mean that there's no guarantee other hackers didn't access Airportr's data first. They found that a relatively basic web vulnerability allowed them to change the password of any user to gain access to their account if they had just the user's email address—and they were also able to brute-force guess email addresses with no rate limitations on the site. As a result, they could access data including all customers' names, phone numbers, home addresses, detailed travel plans and history, airline tickets, boarding passes and flight details, passport images, and signatures. By gaining access to an administrator account, CyberX9's researchers say, a hacker could also have used the vulnerabilities it found to redirect luggage, steal luggage, or even cancel flights on airline websites by using Airportr's data to gain access to customer accounts on those sites. The researchers say they could also have used their access to send emails and text messages as Airportr, a potential phishing risk. Airportr tells WIRED that it has 92,000 users, and claims on its website that it's handled over 800,000 bags for customers. Within the data CyberX9 accessed in its testing, the researchers found and shared with WIRED examples of passengers traveling with diplomatic passports, for several of which the front-page images were also included in the data. These included four from the UK, two from the US, and three from Switzerland. One of the individuals, the researchers determined, was at the time of their travel a UK ambassador, and another was a US executive branch cybersecurity official. 'This is a premium service,' says Pathak. 'We consider that a good chunk of their users are government officials, and other people of a sensitive nature.' Airportr advertises that it's the 'official bag check in partner' of American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Virgin Atlantic, along with half a dozen other major airlines, though it appears to only offer its services on flights to and from airports in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. American Airlines, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic didn't respond to WIRED's requests for comment, but a Lufthansa spokesperson responded in a statement. 'We are dedicated to investigating any indications of a third-party data breach thoroughly and promptly," the spokesperson writes. "We take these matters seriously and are committed to maintaining the integrity and security of our data.' CyberX9's researchers first became curious about Airportr last April, after a member of the team saw the service advertised to him for flights to Europe from the United Arab Emirates, where the company is based, and heard that other staff at the company had used it. 'They're handling such a sensitive task of delivering the baggage and collecting so much sensitive information, I thought we should see where they actually stand in terms of security,' says the research team's lead, who asked to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns. 'When I got some time to actually test it out, I found these vulnerabilities quite quickly.' The researchers found that they could monitor their browser's communications as they signed up for Airportr and created a new password, and then reuse an API key intercepted from those communications to instead change another user's password to anything they chose. The site also lacked a 'rate limiting' security measure that would prevent automated guesses of email addresses to rapidly change the password of every user's account. And the researchers were also able to find email addresses of Airportr administrators that allowed them to take over their accounts and gain their privileges over the company's data and operations. In his response statement, Darby, the Airportr CEO, writes that 'while data exposure could theoretically allow administrative access, the ability to act on such information without triggering alarms would be highly difficult.' He also emphasized that the data the researchers found to be vulnerable was Airportr's alone, not that of its airline partners. 'We do not have any ability to alter or influence airline operations or customers' flight details via our APIs, which are designed with read-only permissions and are tightly restricted to reduce risk to airline systems and customer data,' Darby writes. (CyberX9 points out that the administrative access it gained was not in fact, 'theoretical,' and Airportr didn't appear to be aware of the access until the researchers notified the company.) Darby adds that Airportr didn't tell airlines about the vulnerability at the time. 'Given the low-risk nature of the incident, as determined by our investigation, we did not at the time notify data subjects, airline partners, or supervisory authorities,' he writes. 'Subsequently, and given the potential visibility generated by the publication of the research and subsequent media coverage, we have decided to notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a precautionary measure.' Airportr's airline partners shouldn't be entirely let off the hook, CyberX9's CEO Pathak says. He argues they, too, are responsible for ensuring the security of their customers' travel plans and other sensitive personal information when they recommend another service to them—a responsibility at which they 'failed miserably," he says. He argues, too, that Airportr's security flaws should serve as a warning about how third-party services, contractors and little-known partner services are often a hidden source of data leakage. 'The real risk isn't always the airline itself but the small add‑on services we overlook which often get promoted to us, as passengers, by the airlines and airports—services we assume are safe because we trust the airline's endorsement,' says Pathak. 'Your data is only as secure as the least‑protected partner that touches it.'
Vogue
21 hours ago
- Vogue
Art in All Directions: The Fenix Museum Is Changing How We Talk About Migration
On the banks of Europe's largest port—and at the former site of the continent's first Chinatown—a gleaming double helix coils above a former warehouse in Rotterdam's Katendrecht district. This sculptural staircase, designed by Chinese starchitect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects and dubbed 'the Tornado,' anchors the newly opened Fenix Museum of Migration. It's a showstopper, but more than that, the structure poses a question: What does it mean to leave, to arrive, and to begin again? It's a sticky June afternoon when I reach the Fenix. Inside the sunlit lobby, the Tornado glows, its polished steel and warm wood spiraling skyward. You can ride an elevator to the building's roof, where there is a cantilevered viewing platform, but most visitors opt for the climb. I follow a young family with a toddler who squeals as he bangs on the paneling and crawls up the ramp. It feels like boarding a futuristic cruise ship.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
A test of the mind and body: The story behind AP's stage to stage coverage of the Tour De France
The Tour de France is not only one of the biggest sports races in the world, it's also a test of the mind and body. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, correspondent Gethin Coolbaugh explains how the race works, as well as some iconic moments. On the ground, AP photographers Thibault Camus and Mosa'ab El Shamy share the energy and mood at this year's race. Gethin Coolbaugh, correspondent: Well, the Tour de France is the pinnacle of global cycling. This year is the 112th edition of the men's race that was first held in 1903. Haya Panjwani, host: This three-week-long race will bring over 180 riders together for 2,000 miles. COOLBAUGH: That's the equivalent of riding from Manhattan to about Western Nevada, nearly California. PANJWANI: Some consider the Tour de France the world's most difficult cycling race. I'm Haya Panjwani. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, we're talking about the Tour De France. We'll hear from correspondent Gethin Coolbaugh. Also on the ground photographing the Tour de France, AP photographers, Thibault Camus and Mosa'ab El Shamy. PANJWANI: This race, as Gethin explains, is a test of the mind and body. COOLBAUGH: It's the treacherous terrain that makes this race one of the most challenging in the world and I would say among any sport in any athletic feat. Cycling 2,000 plus miles would be difficult on any surface, but it isn't comprised of only flat surfaces. The course fluctuates from flat surfaces to hills to mountains. The estimated change in elevation this year is about 52,000 meters. That's nearly 17,000 feet or 32 miles. That means that each section poses its own challenges, not just in terms of physical terrain, but also changes in oxygen levels. This year's route runs through 11 regions and 34 departments of France, beginning in Lille in the north and it ends in Paris. It winds all through the country, comprising of 21 stages. The 21 stages are seven flat stages, six hilly stages, six mountain stages, and five mountain finishes. That includes two time trials, which riders start in intervals and their times are recorded individually. The race runs from July 5th through July 27th. The first week is comprised mostly of flat terrain and progresses to a lot of climbing in the last 10 stages. The final week has three mountaintop finishes at the Mont Ventoux, which features the highest point of this year's race at just over 2,300 meters. PANJWANI: Mosa'ab has been following this route. It's his first tour de France. Mosa'ab El Shamy, AP photographer: It's been very exciting. Been a lot of diversity in terms of the places we've covered. It's a really thrilling experience for me. It's obviously a very festive occasion. The mood is very joyous. We pass through big and big cities and small towns and people are out. You can tell they've been waiting. They've been standing for a very long time, waiting for the racers. Everyone's really excited. You can tell that some places, tour is passing for the first time, so it's very special for those towns and there's a lot of decorations, there's lots of flags, people on top of their cars or camper vans and they're constantly waving to not just the cyclists but to the cars and to the photographers and to the caravan, so, it feels like a very long party, would you say? PANJWANI: Thibault is with Mossab, it's his fifth Tour de France. Thibault Camus, AP photographer: It's a tradition that every year, many person come on the side of the road race to see the cyclists. Sometimes they come maybe three days before the race with camping cars and constantly along the race are some people waving, as I said, picnic or something like this. And some of them follow the race all along the tours. EL SHAMY: And it's a French race, so obviously they're very excited about French races. They have banners and they cheer on the French racers, even though the top, you know, two racers are not French, but when French racers pass, there's extra energy, there is extra support. Whenever one of them collects, you now, one of the jerseys at the end of the, at the end of day, like Thibault said, it's like seeped in tradition. And also there is lots of nationalist mood that's dominating the race. PANJWANI: The further the race progresses, the more renowned moments happen. CAMUS: Iconic moments often happen during mountain stages because it's getting harder and harder for the cyclists. COOLBAUGH: The battle between Jacques Anquetil and Ramon Poulidor in 1964, where Anquetil won for a record fifth time. There was the tragic collapse and death of British cyclist Tom Simpson in 1967. The badger Bernard Hinault, his dominant five-title run between 1978 and 1985. In 1989, Greg LeMond overcame a 50 second final day deficit to claim his famous 8-second victory. Miguel Indurain's five straight wins from 1991 to 1995. There was Chris Froome's crash in 2016 where he ran up the mountain in his cycling shoes. Mark Cavendish breaking and surpassing five-time winner Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins from the highs of the highs to the low of the lows, this race has featured so much, so much diversity. CAMUS: What affects me the most during the Tour de France is the energy that we talk about around the race on the roadside. There's so many people, it's sometimes crazy. And especially during the mountain stages where all the people are on the roads and the cyclists must, you know, open a way to reach the top of the climb. So that's very special. And sometimes people run after the cyclist by miracle, nothing happened. When you're on the bike and you see all those people and all the bikers, in the middle of that, it's very special. PANJWANI: To get photos of those bikers, Thibaut and Mosa'ab, ride on a motorcycle with their cameras in hand. EL SHAMY: We have a biker, an experienced person who knows the roads very well, he knows the rules, he is constantly getting briefed and communicated to by the race management. We alternate, one of us gets on the back of the bike one day with our cameras and our helmets. CAMUS: And when we're on the bike, we have to make pictures of the peloton, of the riders, but also we have a kind of postcard that means to put the peloton and the racers into the landscape here, which is everyday different and sometimes very beautiful. So that's a double challenge because we have be here for the action. We have two jobs when we are on the bike. PANJWANI: Of course, no mention of the Tour de France is complete without hearing a name most sports fans recognize - Lance Armstrong. COOLBAUGH: Lance's story was everything that you would ask for in an American sports hero. He overcame adversity, being diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer that spread throughout his body. He underwent treatment and surgery and was declared cancer-free in 1997. He founded the Livestrong Foundation. COOLBAUGH: He returned to cycling in '98 and went on his record run only for it all to come crashing down in 2012 when a U.S. anti-doping agency investigation concluded he had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. They called it 'the most sophisticated, professionalized, and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.' He was subsequently stripped of all seven tour titles, his Olympic bronze medal, and was banned from cycling for life. Armstrong denied the accusations early on. But in 2013, in an Oprah Winfrey interview, admitted that he had used a number of PEDs and engaged in blood doping. It remains an incredible story of triumph and tragedy. CAMUS: There's many things to see, many things that will allow us to be creative. I mean, there's no end to this. So it's very good to be on this road and to be as much as we can creative, because we have this opportunity with AP to be creative. EL SHAMY: I think that Tour de France is a very special race to cover. It's the biggest in the world. It's kind of an adventure around France to cover it for AP. It is a really fun experience to go through. PANJWANI: This has been the story behind the AP story. I'm your host, Haya Panjwani. The executive producer is Ron Vample. Special thanks to sports freelancer, Gethin Coolbaugh, and AP photographers, Mosa'ab El Shamy and Thibault Camus for their contributions. For more on the AP's coverage of the Tour de France, visit
