Lets talk about QR code saftey.
We love QR Codes, there's no easier way to share complex ideas or interact with the public, but are QR Codes dangerous to your cyber precense?
Its depends on YOU.
QR codes have gained a lot of traction in the recent years. Menus, business cards, product info, advertising, you name it. Of course purveyeurs of new technology rarely promote its risks, so we are here to do that. Just like clicking a suspicious link in an email or text, clicking the link from a QR code can lead you and your device into danger.
We've collaborated with John S. Warren Jr., resident Middle-TN IT consultant to educate you guys on some of the potential threats associated with malicious QR codes:
Adding unknown/suspicious contacts to the mobile contact list
Connecting the victim’s device to a malicious network
Malware embedded in the QR code can automatically initiate phone calls, draft emails, and send text messages
Revealing the user’s location
Initiating automatic fraudulent payments
Stealing users’ login and financial information
Gathering identity information and inserting digital infections
Dropping malware onto the device and executing it
Making the device part of a botnet
Spying on the user
Serving in phishing attacks
Carrying out transactions and paying bills
Using some of the common sense methods of trust evaluation, you can protect yourself.
This means:
Dont scan random QR codes you find in public
Don't scan codes that appear to have been tampered with
Avoid downloading apps from a QR code
Utilize your phone’s built-in scanner
Verify emails that contain QR codes
Follow us for more ways to protect yourself and feel free to add any information of value in the comments.