QR Code Risk & Solution

Summary of Article:

In the article “Scammers Hide Harmful Links in QR Codes to Steal Your Information” (Puig, December 2023), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns consumers about how scammers exploit QR codes to steal personal information. These scams involve replacing legitimate QR codes—such as those on parking meters—with fraudulent ones or sending deceptive QR codes via text or email to trick users into scanning them. Once scanned, these QR codes can lead to spoofed websites designed to steal login credentials or install malware on users' devices. To protect against these threats, the FTC advises consumers to inspect QR code URLs carefully, avoid scanning unexpected QR codes in messages, and secure their phones and accounts with multi-factor authentication.

Problem Identified in the Article

The main problem highlighted is that scammers manipulate QR codes to redirect users to fake websites or install malware, leading to stolen personal information and financial loss. 

Read Article: 

Scammers hide harmful links in QR codes to steal your information | Consumer Advice

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Generally, these scams are particularly dangerous because:

1. Users cannot see the URL end location before scanning a QR code, making it easy for scammers to disguise malicious links.

2. QR code scams create a false sense of urgency, making victims act without verifying the authenticity of the source.

3. Spoofed websites appear identical to legitimate sites, tricking users into entering sensitive information.

4. Malware can be installed silently, compromising personal data without the user’s knowledge.

NFOSAFE Verification Solution makes QR code safer. Below outlines our solution to the problem presented by FTC in the article above:

1. Users cannot see the URL end location – NFOSAFE Verification Solution integrates NFO IQ scanner with its solution to prevent scammers and fraudsters from disguising malicious links because the NFO IQ scanner displays the URL end location to users upon scanning a QR code.

2. The false sense of urgency – The NFO IQ scanner, upon scanning a QR Code encoded with an “unverified” website, a red shield will display to alert and signify that the website is at the highest risk level and for users to stop, check, and verify the website URL before proceeding to access the website. 

3. Spoofed websites appear identical to legitimate sites - When a user scans a QR code, the NFO IQ Scanner immediately determines the URL end location, checks the URL end location against a database to determine the NFOSAFE Verification Score, and displays the URL end location with a shield to signify the risk level based on the available information known at time the QR code was scanned. If a URL end location is unverified, when using the NFO IQ scanner, a red shield will display signifying the highest risk concern. This helps to prevent users from unknowingly visiting a spoofed or unverified website.  

4. Malware can be installed silently – The URL end location is displayed upon scanning QR code using the NFO IQ app. The NFOSAFE verification data is stored within a database, so when a QR code is scanned with the NFO IQ scanner, in real time the scanned URL end location is checked against the database of verified websites.  We cannot identify or eliminate 100% of the risk of any website. We are able to signify unverified websites with a red shield to alert users of the highest risk concerns based on the NFOSAFE Verification score.   

Excerpts from the article titled, "Quishing and vishing: How to protect yourself from new security threats"

"In the ongoing battle against cybercrime, we are constantly coming across new methods that fraudsters use to try and obtain our sensitive data. While vishing is already a well-known threat, quishing is an even newer and more sophisticated method. 

Quishing is the latest phenomenon in cybercrime and is proving to be particularly insidious. This method uses QR codes to lure users to fake websites where attempts are then made to obtain their data. The prevalence and ease of use of QR codes in everyday life make quishing a serious threat.

.... The devious intention is that users are directed to a fake website that is not recognized as such by smartphones."

The Most Proactive Solution

NFOSAFE Verification Solution with the NFO IQ scanner is the most proactive solution — identifying the true URL end location and flagging unknown sites (unverified websites) which gives users a powerful defense against Quishing scams. This kind of security feature is a game-changer in preventing QR code-based phishing attacks.  NFOSAFE Verification Solution ensure that even if a QR code leads to an unknown or suspicious website, it can still assess the risk level and provide users with a warning. Here’s how this enhances protection against quishing:

1. End Location Detection: Even if the QR code uses URL shorteners or multiple redirects, our system resolves the URL end location before the user interacts with the website. This prevents users from being misled by obscured or manipulated links.

2. Database-Driven Risk Analysis: If the URL is already in your database and marked as safe, users can proceed with confidence.  If the URL is unknown or not in our database, the system flags it as high risk by default, prompting further verification.

3. Real-Time Threat Evaluation: Our application can analyze URLs based on multiple security indicators (e.g., domain age, SSL certification, known phishing reports, and reputation scoring). This dynamic approach prevents new phishing domains from slipping through security gaps.

4. User Alerts & Prevention: Instead of allowing automatic redirection, our application determines the URL end location, the risk level signified by a color shield, a red shield   signifies the highest risk level; thereby providing a warning before the user proceed to visits a risky site.

NFOSAFE Verification Solution helps prevent credential theft or malware downloads before any damage occurs.

Read Full Article:

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2324510/the-new-threat-of-quishing-and-vishing-how-to-protect-yourself.html