Security and QR Codes
Do you trust everything you see?
We’ve all seen QR codes, even if we may not have all recognized what they are. These little, square dot patterns are everywhere these days, especially in advertising. In fact, some people have gotten so used to scanning them with their smart phones to get more information about products and services that hackers are now exploiting them. I recently read a very interesting article on TechRepublic by Michael Kassner titled Beware of QR Codes about an exploit found in the wild, and QR code exploits in general. The problem is, we tend to trust them, mainly, I think, because they’re too new for us to have been burned bad by them yet, and they are popping up everywhere! Pay attention as you go through your day and see how many of these little deals you bump into. They’re in everything from magazine ads to product labels to posters to coupons! Even Doonesbury has run a strip with a QR code in it!
So, as you swim out there, awash in the ocean of marketing and sales that we live in, pay attention to those who might subvert your complacency. If it’s easy for you to use, it’s probably easy for someone to abuse, just like the QR code seems to be!
