Information for Businesses

WARNING FOR ALL BUSINESSES
An employee scanning a QR code can be as risky as them clicking a link in a phishing email.

With this increasing use of QR Codes, many people may assume that it is the appropriate technology for all identification applications. That is not correct. While QR Codes do have many strengths, such as data capacity and being able to be read by smart phones, they may also be a source of fraud. QR Codes are relatively easy to clone and adulterate. Even the inclusion of encryption to the QR symbol, that in itself does  not protect against cloning or addition of fraudulent data. These issues have been described in several warnings published by the FBI. Bad actors are able to change QR Codes to send unsuspecting users to fraudulent sites with the intent to steal. Links to these  FBI reports are included in this article.

While QR Codes may be appropriate for applications that require or invite consumer interaction, they certainly are not the best choice for applications that are mission critical, demand high levels of security and reliability, or are intended to detect counterfeiting and diversion in the manufacturing and distribution process. Over three hundred machine readable symbols have been created over the last 70 plus years, most of which have been authored in the last forty. Some of these, such as QR, Data Matrix, and most 1D codes are in the public domain. Some, however, remain proprietary, and often for good reason.

Further Reading

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Cybercriminals Tampering with QR Codes to Steal Victim Funds
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Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Unsolicited Packages Containing QR Codes Used to Initiate Fraud Schemes
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Beware of Quishing Campaigns with HR or IT Lures
In quishing campaigns, threat actors impersonate trusted organizations or entities, including human resources or information technology departments. QR codes may be embedded in Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, HTML, attached images, or directly in the body of the email.
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If you are in manufacturing, distribution, logistics, then you have to care about secure and reliable track-and-trace as a core part of your business.

If you have any questions or needs for further information and consultation from industry experts, reach out to Global Automation & Identification Group.

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