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Lifestyle

Manipulated QR codes

August 6, 2013

QR codes are among the most popular information storage media for the advertizing industry. After a brief scan, smartphone users are guided to the desired website. But there are also manipulated QR codes in circulation, so caution is advised.

https://p.dw.com/p/19KAi

QR codes can be found on posters, business cards, in newspapers and magazines and on the internet. The black-and-white barcodes usually link a mobile device to online advertizing or product information when it scans them. And that's just where the danger lurks, because hackers can create fake QR codes that link users to websites with malicious software. In this way, harmless advertizing poses a potential danger to the smartphone.