The Weaponization of QR-Codes and the Impact on Brand Protection
In February of 2025 the Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) released a white paper titled Signals of Trouble. This article highlighted how Russia was weaponizing the QR-Code on popular messaging apps to gain access to systems, data and devices. Hidden in the article were descriptions of attacks that extended beyond the messaging apps to other techniques and tradecraft targeting everyday systems using QR-Codes. These malicious QR-Codes can steal credentials, download malware and gain access to devices and business systems.
This White Paper explores the threats to anyone deploying QR-Codes in their business processes with a particular focus on the current trends in brand protection to use QR-Codes as a track and trace solution for products. This is especially relevant to the deployment of the Digital Product Passport in Europe and the Sunrise 2027 initiative from GS1 in the USA. As the use of QR-Codes becomes more prevalent and required by some regulation, the attack surface affecting brands and their customers will grow exponentially. Adding holograms and pixie dust around the QR-Code will do almost nothing to thwart these attacks and only highlights how weak the typical brand protection application is when deploying a QR-Code as the data carrier combined with virtually any other technology
The perceived balance of convenience vs security has swung too far to the convenience side of the scale to the point where there is little to no actual security in the vast majority of today’s anti-counterfeit implementations. There are many documented instances of QR-Code solutions being exploited and causing harm to consumers and brands, some of these have been included in this White Paper along with the many warnings from various organizations including the FBI and US FTC regarding the dangers of scanning QR-Codes. We have tried to highlight these issues as well as the current recommendation to mitigate the risk. We look at the alternative solutions that will need to be explored to help brands actually take the fight to the counterfeiters, because today the numbers show the brands are clearly losing the battle on all fronts
To read more download the full pdf below.
