The QR codes are now a preferred tool for marketers to engage, by combining the offline and online world with one scan. By 2025, the QR Code scans are going to surge to 5.3B scans globally. From packaging and restaurant menus to billboards and event check-ins, brands are attracting consumers with QR codes. However, a significant concern that often goes unaddressed is QR code phishing, a unique cybersecurity threat that can severely damage brand reputation and consumer trust in a matter of hours.
A study from 2024 by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) says that QR code-related phishing attempts have increased, by over 51% in the past year. Another survey stated that 71% of individuals struggle to differentiate between legitimate and malicious QR codes. Furthermore, one-third of the firms using QR Codes reported at least one phishing scam involving QR codes in the last year.
What is QR Code Phishing?
A QR code phishing, often called “quishing”, is a practice of cyberattack where the scamster sends a QR code to the user of an unsecured website. Once the user scans the QR, the website asks them to provide their sensitive data i.e. name, banking information, email address, or other login credentials. This data is collected by the attacker.
How does QR Code Phishing Work?
Many QR Code-related phishing scams are meticulously designed so that normal people like us cannot distinguish between a genuine QR Code and a malicious one.
This is how a typical QR phishing scam goes:
a.A fake QR code is generated to resemble a QR code of your branded genuine QR.
b. This QR code is being printed, or affixed (or overlaid printed) where you might notice it, such as on a poster, flyer, or product packaging.
c. When the user scans the QR code, they believe it's secure.
d. They eventually will be redirected to a phishing site that typically resembles a landing page with your brand.
e. After that, the user will submit credentials or personal information such as emails, names, date of birth, banking details, etc. which unknowingly grants the attackers access to sensitive information.
How Do Scammers Target Brands and Customers Through QR Code Phishing?
To exploit and threaten the brand trust that brands have built over the years, scammers use many clever ways such as mimicking the brand’s URLs and landing pages which leads to the loss of their important credentials:
a.The scammers overlap malicious QR stickers over public posters and advertisements.
b. They make fake scratch cards, reward pages, and support that resonates with the brand campaigns.
c. The scammers send fake QR codes to customers through email saying it generates special offers.
d. Scammers often deliver spoofed packaging of unwanted products containing fake QR codes that lead customers to malware.
e. Quishers can also hack data through spoofed payment or order tracking login pages, even by donation and charity link campaigns.
f. They redirect their victims with coupons or promotions that need signing up or revealing personal details.
5 Mistakes Brands Make in Digital Marketing Campaigns
Over the past few years, QR Codes, as a tool for marketing and promotion, have created a niche in the advertising world. Marketers and advertisers leverage QR Codes for various types of digital and offline campaigns where they use QR Codes. However, QR Code phishing is a threat that erodes public trust in scanning any QR Code. Let’s see some of the mistakes that brands make while creating their digital marketing campaigns and how to prevent such scams.
1. Not Utilizing Custom Branded URLs
The generic redirect URLs or short links are not only difficult for customers to authenticate, but employing custom URLs also gives your campaign legitimacy.
2. Not Tracking QR Code Usage
Many brands launch QR campaigns without monitoring their effectiveness or security. It is more like to invite quishers and phishing scams. Brands should use Dynamic QR Codes for routinely tracking their digital campaigns and preventing any phishing attempts. Dynamic QR Codes are way more secure than static ones as they use encryption keys that are hard to copy or duplicate. Moreover, each QR Scan can be tracked to the source.
3. Not Tracking Physical Security
Few brands keep an eye on offline posters and print campaigns’ physical security. Damage or attack is hardly ever questioned. Even minor attackers regularly layer legitimate QR codes with fake ones to catch out-of-sight customers. Many brands use QR Codes on bus stops and train stations as billboards. Keeping these billboards secure through glass panels discourages scammers.
4. Not Educating Users
Most brands point out consumers’ capabilities of detecting phishing; they rarely inform customers about safe scanning practices.
5. Don't Verify HTTPS
If your QR code points to a page that lacks HTTPS or SSL certification, and there's no way to stop it, that’s a sign that you are being trapped. That’s why, brands should always use HTTPS URLs which are secure, and search engines like Google and Google Chrome browser support these URLs.
How to Prevent QR Code Phishing? Steps by Steps Guide
There are several steps a brand can take to prevent quishing (QR Code Phishing) including:
1.Be sure to use dynamic QR codes with security validations and usage tracking capabilities.
2. Design QR codes with brand logos and colors to help identify clones.
3. Educate audiences to verify the domain before clicking.
4. Monitor QR code usage online with brand listening tools.
5. Regularly check physical QR campaigns to prevent tampering.
6. Always link to HTTPS sites and implement multi-factor authentication when possible.
Are QR Codes Secure?
QR Codes are just a tool used by users and businesses to transmit information and promote products and services. While Dynamic QR Codes are secure and use encryption, static QR Codes can fall prey to scams. The damage lies in what the link is about as misusing it turns into a malicious phishing gateway.
Advanced practices such as domain verification, HTTPS usage, and unique URLs can help reduce the risk.
Some QR Code Phishing Examples Around the World
Phishing and scams are universal and many people and businesses around the world are affected by it. Let’s see some examples where QR Code phishing has affected businesses as well as businesses.
a.Europe (2024): An internet duplicate of a fast-food chain's QR-based customer survey tricked users into entering their login details to claim reward points.
b. Texas, USA (2023): Fake QR code stickers were found on parking meters in Austin that directed users to fake payment websites.
c. Singapore (2022): A poster promoting an authorized electronics brand contained a phishing link overlayed on the QR code that took users to an imitation giveaway website that was collecting their credit card details.
To summarize, QR codes offer great potential for interaction—along with liabilities. Brands can embrace QR codes without compromising customer information, or their reputation if they can avoid pitfalls and protect their campaigns from start to finish by using dynamic QR Codes and verifying HTTPS, SSL certificates, and encryptions. As phishing tactics are evolving, one thing is certain- a secure QR code campaign is simply good marketing practice and it's also crucial to brand protection.
Frequently Asked Questions on QR Code Phishing and Security
1.What is QR code phishing?
QR code phishing, or "quishing," is a form of cyber-attack that uses malicious QR codes to lead people to impersonate websites that steal personal data, such as login details, credit card numbers, or banking data.
2. How do attackers use QR codes to scam people?
Attackers create counterfeit QR codes and place them over legitimate ones in public spaces or send them via email. When scanned, these codes lead users to fraudulent sites designed to harvest sensitive information.
3. How do I know if a QR code is safe?
1.Check for visual branding (i.e. logo or color scheme).
2. Preview the URL before navigating to it.
3. Don't scan a QR code from an unfamiliar source, or that could have been put there by a stranger in a questionable location (i.e. random poster or sticker).
Use a QR scanner that previews links or includes built-in threat detection.
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