Airport Identity Risk Index 2026: Regula Highlights Weak Chip and Certificate Validation as the Fastest-Growing Risk

RESTON, Va., Jan. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As airports replace physical documents with digital identities, boarding passes with biometrics, and manual checks with automated gates, identity verification (IDV) is becoming the backbone of terminal security — and its most critical vulnerability. To help the industry prepare for the emerging risks, Regula, a global developer of IDV solutions, has released the Airport Identity Risk Index 2026, a practice-driven assessment of the identity threats airports face today and how they are expected to evolve through 2028.

Built on real-world airport deployments, this Regula report reflects how identity systems actually operate under pressure — across automated gates, remote enrollment workflows, biometric checkpoints, and digital travel credentials (DTC). It highlights which risks exist, which ones are accelerating, and which ones are beginning to decline as technology and procedures mature.

Where airport security is most exposed

The Airport Identity Risk Index reveals a clear trend: while traditional threats such as forged physical documents remain highly prevalent today, their relative impact is expected to decrease as airports deploy more advanced scanners and automated document checks.

At the same time, identity risks tied to digital workflows are gaining momentum. For example:

• Inconsistent chip and certificate validation is emerging as one of the fastest-growing exposure points, particularly as ePassports, mobile identities, and DTCs rely more heavily on cryptographic trust.
• Boarding pass and digital identity tampering remain a persistent threat as QR- and mobile-based credentials become more widespread, and weak app, scanner, or backend validation can allow attackers to alter access parameters and bypass controls.

“Airports are becoming some of the most identity-dependent environments in the world. The biggest shift we’re seeing is not just new attack techniques, but a change in where identity fails. Risks are moving away from the physical checkpoint and into digital, cryptographic, and biometric layers that weren’t designed to fail loudly. All this implies that identity security at airports can no longer be treated as a series of isolated checks. It has to function as a continuous, multi-layered system,” says Arif Mamedov, CEO of Regula Forensics, Inc.

What airports can do now

What airports can do to prepare for this threat shift is to stop relying on a single control and build a layered identity defense that spans the entire passenger journey. A resilient approach combines forensic-level document verification, full chip and certificate authentication, secure biometric capture with robust liveness detection, and cryptographically protected digital identities validated against backend systems. When these layers work together, identity failures are contained rather than amplified across the whole system.

Read the full analysis

The Airport Identity Risk Index 2026 examines seven major identity threats in detail, explains which ones are accelerating and which are stabilizing, and outlines practical steps airports can take today to reduce exposure without slowing passenger flow.

Read the full analysis on the Regula Blog.

About Regula

Regula is a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions. With our 30+ years of experience in forensic research and the most comprehensive library of document templates in the world, we create breakthrough technologies for document and biometric verification. Our hardware and software solutions allow over 1,000 organizations and 80 border control authorities globally to provide top-notch client service without compromising safety, security, or speed. Regula has been recognized in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Identity Verification.

Learn more at www.regulaforensics.com.

Contact:
Kristina – ks@regula.us

Airport Index

Regula's Airport Identity Risk Index is a practice-driven assessment of the identity threats airports face today and how they are expected to evolve through 2028.

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