Security expert warns smartphone users of the risks in scanning
cybercoding, June 1, 2012 12:16 am, By Deborah M. Todd / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette 


"Armed with a sheet of black-and-white stickers resembling a cross
between traditional USB barcodes and a Rorschach test, security expert
Eric Mikulas embarked on a mission to protect the city's smartphones.

He knew all too well the increased use of Quick Response codes --
two-dimensional barcodes that can send users coupons or link them to
websites with a quick scan from a smartphone app -- has made it easier
for businesses to market instant savings and future promotions to
customers.

What he didn't know was whether customers understood that scanning a QR
code is an act of trust equivalent to opening a locked door before
checking the peephole.

The general design of QR codes makes it impossible to distinguish one
from another with the human eye, meaning that anyone can replace
legitimate codes with their own using a sheet of $7 QR coded stickers.
In Russia, cybercriminals used imposter QR codes to siphon cash and
personal information from hundreds of smartphone owners in 2011 and were
refining their methods to dupe even more users."

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