Be careful with QR codes. Quishing is starting to happen!

Be careful with QR codes.  Quishing is starting to happen!

If I hated QR code for a long time because it was a strange thing and started appearing in many places with poor implementation, nowadays it is a technology that makes perfect sense for a wide range of things, whether it is accessing a digital item, or to authenticate access to a Wi-Fi network. .

Until the pandemic, vaccination and testing certificates worked on the basis of a simple QR code. A strange system for many users, but it has proven the technology’s usefulness to the masses.

However, with the massive expansion of something as simple to use as a QR code, some codes are starting to emerge that have only one purpose…malicious actions that can put your information at risk, especially banking information.

Be careful with QR codes. Quishing is starting to happen!

So, respressionor QR Code PhishingThis happens when the link hidden in a QR code is malicious, but the image containing the code itself is not. In short, the image passes current defences, although it is not reliable.

We know it’s confusing, but it’s something that shows a great fragility in technology. In other words, how easy it is for an attacker to hide a malicious communication, especially in these times, when it is completely normal to send QR codes via email or other means of communication.

This type of attack is growing at a rapid pace in many regions around the world, and more specifically in the United States, where 100 million people use QR codes for various types of actions in their daily lives.

What is a QR code and how is it done?

It is very easy to create a QR code.

QR code

There are plenty of free sites online that do this, very quickly. All this is because this type of code, nowadays, is basically just a way to provide a link, for easy reading by smart devices equipped with cameras.

So, in the same way that you would be careful with emails from CTT, DHL, UPS, etc… that are actually a “scam”, you will have to be careful with this type of notification on your networks and email platforms. mail. At least for now, until there is a system that can “clear” these same codes.

By Chris Skeldon

"Coffee trailblazer. Social media ninja. Unapologetic web guru. Friendly music fan. Alcohol fanatic."