Really TRUE odd factoids

[Alex321]

I heard QR codes were on the way out. They were only supposed to have had a 10 year lifespan and have serious security issues.

They have no security issues in themselves.

They DO pose a significant security risk in that they usually link to websites, and until you scan the code, you have no way to know what that website may be, so scammers can place QR codes in places people might think they are legitimate and get caught out.

But any replacement would have the same issue.

Not sure where you get "they were only supposed to have a 10 year lifespan" from. I can't find any reference to that, or to them being phased out.

 

[markemark]

They have no security issues in themselves.

They DO pose a significant security risk in that they usually link to websites, and until you scan the code, you have no way to know what that website may be, so scammers can place QR codes in places people might think they are legitimate and get caught out.

But any replacement would have the same issue.

Not sure where you get "they were only supposed to have a 10 year lifespan" from. I can't find any reference to that, or to them being phased out.

Yeah that doesn't make any sense. A QR code can contain anything of a few thousand characters in any sequence. They are used for product codes, URLs, emails or just strings of data. It is not securely encoded, just encoded. I can put the first 2 sentences here in a QR code. It's like saying sentences are being phased out for security reasons.

 

[Punkawallah]

And to think I've been using money all these years.

Cash is best.

 

[Chris S]

They have no security issues in themselves.

They DO pose a significant security risk in that they usually link to websites, and until you scan the code, you have no way to know what that website may be, so scammers can place QR codes in places people might think they are legitimate and get caught out.

But any replacement would have the same issue.

Not sure where you get "they were only supposed to have a 10 year lifespan" from. I can't find any reference to that, or to them being phased out.

I didn't say they were being phased out, their security risk means they are rapidly becoming obsolete. There was a recent program about them on Radio 4. One of the design team said that they had only expected them to be in use for about 10 years.

 

[T4tomo]

The 1961 film 'West Side Story' was a morern New York version of Romeo and Juliet.

did you mean to post that here or the Admit your ignorance - things you've only just realised/learned thread?

 

[PeteXXX]

did you mean to post that here or the Admit your ignorance - things you've only just realised/learned thread?

I learned it, probably, 20 or 30 years ago so it's more relevant here than there.. 👍

 

[Seevio]

I didn't say they were being phased out, their security risk means they are rapidly becoming obsolete. There was a recent program about them on Radio 4. One of the design team said that they had only expected them to be in use for about 10 years.

What specific security risks are we talking about here?

A brief search suggests that they are becoming more popular than ever. I did find some articles suggesting that QR codes were becoming obsolete but as they were from 7 to 10 years ago, I'll take them with a pinch of salt.

Another aspect of obsolescence is that it implies that something is replacing QR codes. Did the radio say what that thing is?

 

[PeteXXX]

What specific security risks are we talking about here?

A brief search suggests that they are becoming more popular than ever. I did find some articles suggesting that QR codes were becoming obsolete but as they were from 7 to 10 years ago, I'll take them with a pinch of salt.

Another aspect of obsolescence is that it implies that something is replacing QR codes. Did the radio say what that thing is?

It's been known for scallywags to place a dodgy QR sticker over, for example, a car park machine so you think you're paying for a ticket but you've actually given them your bank details instead.

 

[markemark]

What specific security risks are we talking about here?

A brief search suggests that they are becoming more popular than ever. I did find some articles suggesting that QR codes were becoming obsolete but as they were from 7 to 10 years ago, I'll take them with a pinch of salt.

Another aspect of obsolescence is that it implies that something is replacing QR codes. Did the radio say what that thing is?

We use them all the time here on a production line. All items get a unique QR code so can be scanned at any point to update their progress. All it does it put a long unique number in a very small space that can be scanned and a QR it can hold more characters than a barcode. Any alternative would simply do the same thing. It's just a convenient way to store and supply data. I have not heard anywhere of declining popularity and certainly not being phased out.

QR codes to websites can be manipulated. There's stories of labels being stuck on parking pay machines to an alternative and fraudulent website. But that's not the QR code. If the machine has the website in full or any other way of linking to the website, a fraudulent label could be placed over the top. It's entirely independent on the process of displaying the data. Again, it's like saying sentences are a security risk because they can contain bad data. (oops @PeteXXX just beat me to it)

 

[Electric_Andy]

I think the ease of creating them now will lead to their downfall... As someone else said, they can be printed out and stuck anywhere to fool people. A bit like card skimming machines but much cheaper and easier to create. I don't know a better way of doing it really, but I'm sure someone will come up with something. At least with cash you can prevent easy fraud. But then if you don't have any change you're stuck. My only viable alternative is to use contactless or chip and pin behind a very stout screen which will look very obvious if tampered with. But they cost more money to install

 

[markemark]

Well the Royal Mail have confidence in their longevity as they added them to billions of stamps.

 

[Chris S]

Again, it's like saying sentences are a security risk because they can contain bad data. (oops @PeteXXX just beat me to it)

You can read sentences but you can't read QR codes.

 

[markemark]

You can read sentences but you can't read QR codes.

Yes you can. Pretty much any mobile device can read a qr code without it doing anything with it. You can read the data, you can view the url. There’s no encryption. Anyone can view what it contains.

 

[classic33]

Yes you can. Pretty much any mobile device can read a qr code without it doing anything with it. You can read the data, you can view the url. There’s no encryption. Anyone can view what it contains.

Used to be able to read barcodes, without anything required. Can't do the same with QR codes.

 

[Seevio]

Used to be able to read barcodes, without anything required. Can't do the same with QR codes.

You can read QR codes manually. It's pretty simple but incredibly long winded and tedious.