Experts who drew attention to the ‘QR code’ application, which has been used very often with the pandemic, warned of fraud.

With the fake QR code, some automated processes that can be harmful can be run from the phone.

For example;

• Add a record to your contacts;
• Make an outgoing call;
• Draft an email, fill in subject lines with recipient;
• Send a text message;
• Share your location with an app;
• Creating a social media account;
• Create a calendar event;
• Add a preferred Wi-Fi network with credentials for automatic connection;

Above listed actions can be performed automatically. For example, by scanning a QR code, you can add contact information from a business card, pay the parking fee, or grant access to a guest Wi-Fi network. These extensive capabilities of the QR code make them ready for manipulation.

It was determined that cyber attacks against companies and institutions operating in the energy and production sector in Turkey have increased.

According to the researchers’ report, the Middle East Region remains a primary target of ransomware attacks compared to other regions. Turkey is among the countries where increases in attacks blocked in many sectors, including building automation, energy and engineering, are monitored throughout 2022. The Middle East region ranks in the top three for the proportion of industrial control systems (ICS) attacked via removable media (USB flash drives or hard drives). Turkey is among the countries where increases in attacks blocked in many sectors, including building automation, energy and engineering, are monitored throughout 2022.

From a security perspective, follow a few simple rules when using QR codes:

• Do not scan QR codes from sources that are clearly suspicious;
• Pay attention to the links that appear when scanning the code. Be especially careful if the URL is shortened; because there is no valid reason to shorten any connection in QR codes. Instead, use a search engine or official store to find what you’re looking for;
• Before scanning the QR code on a poster or sign, check physically quickly to make sure that no other code is affixed to the original code;
• Use secure QR Scanner apps that control QR codes for malicious content;

QR codes may also contain valuable information such as e-ticket numbers, so never share QR-coded documents on socialmedia.