Android Users: Beware of QR Codes, Expert Says

Courtesty of REALTOR® Mag

Daily Real Estate News | Friday, November 04, 2011 

 

A growing attack to smartphones, particularly Google’s Android, is coming from QR codes, the scannable bar codes that can be scanned with your smartphone to instantly connect you to more information. 

QR codes have been catching on in marketing, and real estate professionals have widely adopted them as well. 

But watch before you scan, says one malware security researcher. 
These codes have become a main target for viruses and hackers who are using them to steal personal data from your phone, malware researcher Sergey Golovanov with Kaspersky Lab in Moscow told Forbes.com.

“QR malware codes are mainly spreading through Android,” Golovanov says. “We haven’t found any QR malware for the iPhones yet. Everyone is looking for the Android users. We don’t know why. But one of the reasons is probably because iPhone has a closed operating system and Android has an open operating system so it is easier to create software for them.”

When you unknowingly scan a malware QR code with your smartphone, you’ll be redirected to a malicious web address that may end with “.APK” or “.JAR” file extensions. However, Golovanov says there’s no way to be certain when your device has been affected by one of these malware QR codes.
Source: “Is the iPhone Safer Than Google’s Android?” Forbes (Nov. 3, 2011)