• Security They discover 12 security flaws in the operation of WiFi

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of

the rebirth of QR codes

with the pandemic to turn this technology into

an "invisible

"

attack vector

, as Chek Point has warned given the increase in its use by companies from all sectors.

Companies have found it necessary to reinvent themselves and adopt technological tools to solve some of the problems posed by the pandemic, such as the need to

keep physical distance

or maintain

more scrupulous hygiene.

In this context,

QR codes

, used in catering establishments to replace traditional letters, but also to display tourist information or facilitate promotions, discounts or even institutional procedures, have emerged as the zero-contact alternative

.

The general director of Check Point for Spain and Portugal, Mario García, explains that QR codes are

two-dimensional quick response codes that incorporate a URL embedded in an image

that, when scanned, allows access to a website.

The use of QR codes has grown in recent months according to a study carried out by MobileIron, which shows that

86 percent of mobile users have scanned a QR code in the last year.

However, it also reflects that 34 percent of respondents do not care about their safety when using these codes.

"In recent months we have seen how it has experienced a new impulse in its use, which, together with

the feeling of reliability and lack of danger

that they generate in users, as well as its use through the 'smartphone', make it are becoming a new vector of attack, "adds the manager.

THE PHANTOM THREAT OF QR CODES

A practical case carried out by Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania, United States), highlights

the lack of concern regarding the protection of personal data when using this system

.

The researchers placed hundreds of posters with QR codes in different locations, and after a month, 225 people had scanned the posters, of which 85 percent visited the associated website.

"Users must be aware that, deep down, they

are clicking on a link that in many cases they do not even see

, so it could be 'phishing' - impersonation of a legitimate source - and

redirect to a malicious website

It is important to bear in mind that where there is the Internet there may be a criminal connected, so you always have to exercise extreme caution, "Garcia warns.

QR codes are used mostly

through the 'smartphone'

, so they can serve as a gateway to the information stored by the device, such as location data, or initiate the download of malicious software on the computer (Trojans banking, malware, etc.) and even make payments.

In this sense, from Check Point they point out that the mobile phone is one of the priority objectives of cybercriminals, since according to the company's Threat Intelligence Report, during the first half of 2020

almost 8 percent of cyberattacks in Spain they were directed against these devices

, standing 1.5 percent above the global average.

Likewise, the company warns of the need to

increase the levels of security and awareness

of technologies such as QR codes that apparently do not seem to have any risk, but that can compromise the confidentiality of our data.

Therefore, it is essential to

install security tools

that protect the devices.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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