Category: Featured News

Symantec sees increase in malicious QR codes

Though QR codes are struggling to find a foothold with many consumers, their use is growing among a very particular demographic: Hackers. Symantec, a leading security solutions provides, has issued warnings concerning the growth of malicious QR codes in high-traffic areas. According to Symantec, hackers are beginning to place malicious QR codes in densely populated areas in order to increase  their own reach and attack mobile devices that may contain valuable information.

Popular marketing tools are also gaining the attention of hackers

QR codes are popular marketing tools, allowing businesses to stay engaged with consumers in a dynamic way. The codes are widely used as information distribution tools and as part of loyalty programs from big-name retailers. The codes have proven effective in the past, but many consumers have begun avoiding the codes for a variety of reasons. Security is among these reasons, and Symantec suggests that the time has come for consumers to take mobile security more seriously.

Hackers using QR code stickers to attack consumer information

According to Symantec, hackers are generating malicious QR codes, printing them as stickers, and covering legitimate QR codes with these malicious variants. Advertisements from major retail companies are popular targets, and passersby can rarely tell that a malicious QR codes have been used to cover a legitimate one. Consumers often scan these codes in order to access special deals being offered by retailers, but find  that their phone has been infected with a virus instead.

Applications can help keep mobile devices safe from exploitation

There are a variety of ways to keep a mobile device secure. Symantec, as well as other security firms, offer mobile applications that act as a form of anti-virus platform for smart phones and tablets. Some of these mobile security applications can also investigate a QR code before it is scanned to determine whether it is associated with a legitimate or malicious website. These applications can significantly reduce the danger that exists with malicious QR codes and keep a consumer’s information safe.

Participants in an online survey reveal that they believe a cashless future is on the way.

Harris Interactive has released the results of its most recent survey, which has indicated that among adults in the United States, well over half believe that mobile payments will replace both cash and credit card based transactions at some point down the road.

Over 30 percent of the respondents said that the replacement would occur in five years from now.

The survey was performed online from November 14 through 19, with the participation of 2,383 respondents. Each were adults and they all lived in the U.S. When asked about the replacement of credit cards with mobile payments, the 66 percent believed that this would one day occur. That said, only 32 percent of the participants felt that this would occur within the next half decade.

The mobile payments survey also looked into the replacement of cash with smartphones.

The results of the poll showed that the participants felt nearly the same way about cash as they did about credit cards in terms of their replacement by mobile payments technology. In fact, 61 percent of the respondents said that they felt that one day, we would no longer use cash because of our smartphone devices. However, only 26 percent believed that this will have happened in five years’ time.

The survey findings identified several different reasons that can explain the hesitation that consumers have regarding the use of mobile payments transactions. These can help to explain why adoption of the technology has been as slow as it has.

The survey presented the participants with a number of different reasons from which they could choose, in order to explain why they would hesitate to use mobile payments for making purchases. The answers included – but are not limited to – the following:

• Over half (52 percent) are content with their credit cards and/or cash so they don’t see a need to change.
• 51 percent expressed concerns over mobile security in terms of financial and private data.
• Half didn’t own a smartphone.
• 40 percent didn’t trust the security of entering mobile payments information into a merchant’s device.