As commonplace as quick response code scanning may be in China, scams are becoming a problem. Many residents of the Chinese city of Guangzhou fell victim to a fraudulent QR code that scammed them out of millions of dollars. The scam stole an estimated RMB90 million (about US$13.03 million) from unsuspecting smartphone users. The use of quick response codes has become exceptionally commonplace in China. They are used as a part of mobile payments to let people complete transactions at the local convenience store. They are found on product packaging…
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QR codes are infecting devices with Trojans
There are a number of fake Android games that are leading to Boxer variant infections. According to a recent report from researchers, a range of different fake game downloads in conjunction with strategically placed QR codes have been infecting Android device users with a variant of Boxer called Trojan.AndroidOS.Generic.A. That virus has been created to send text messages from infected devices to premium numbers. The researchers who conducted this study were from ThreatTrack Security Labs and were able to come across a website that was hosting artificial Android apps that…
Read MoreQR codes face clickjacking security issues
Cybercriminals are adding stickers over genuine quick response codes to redirect traffic to sketchy sites. QR codes have just started to take off as smartphone and tablet users scan them more frequently, which has meant that those with questionable values have seen this as an opportunity to get their dirty fingers into the mix. Device users are being cautioned to carefully check to make certain the barcodes are authentic. The practice of “clickjacking” is on the grow, and nasty individuals are placing stickers with QR codes over the genuine barcodes…
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