There is no way to escape them and why would you? They are really convenient, after all – and they have room for lots of information. So much so actually, even airlines and event organizers use them as and on tickets. A QR code delivers everything it promises: In just a couple seconds, you will be redirected to the product information you are looking for, your ticket status will be confirmed, or you can get infected by some nasty malware.
Yes – you didn’t misread. As with most technology it’s not just the reliable companies that use them to make your life easier. Cybercriminals are also in love with the fact that only until after you have actually scanned the code and are redirected to whatever link it holds, you have no idea what’s hidden behind it. This way of hiding malicious links is so popular that there is even a whole word coined after it: QRishing, a play on QR codes and phishing.
Should we scan them anyway? Should we try and do without these convenient codes? That’s almost not an option. Be more careful? Well, you can try, but other than not scanning QR codes that have obviously been pasted over another one, there is only so much a human set of eyes can see.
Luckily we are pleased to present the answer to your problem. Backed by the experiences of millions of users, our new QR Code Scanner for Android will tell you if a link is safe or not. All you have to do is scan the code and the app will tell you! And if the scanned content turns out to be an URL, the app also double checks with the Avira URL Cloud to verify that the scanned result contains malware.
Only after the code is scanned and confirmed safe will you get a green light to continue on to the browser.
This tool is easy on the user. Just open your phone and scan. And if the link is safe, you just open it in your browser – that’s it.
The app is now available in the Google Play Store for free.