A Serious Bitcoin Security Warning!!!

[robelneo]

I am not aware of this but I'm not using a QR code and there is a warning

"[As QR] codes are not humanly readable, it opens an avenue for fraud," added ZenGo's Tal Be'ery.

This will cast a bad light in using QR code for now on because it is not readable, there is no way to know if the code is real of from a different address, I will not advise people to stop using it, but they know that something like this exists and they have to take extra precaution when dealing with QR code.

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[bitbunnny]

I am not aware of this but I'm not using a QR code and there is a warning

"[As QR] codes are not humanly readable, it opens an avenue for fraud," added ZenGo's Tal Be'ery.

This will cast a bad light in using QR code for now on because it is not readable, there is no way to know if the code is real of from a different address, I will not advise people to stop using it, but they know that something like this exists and they have to take extra precaution when dealing with QR code.

Extra caution.is always a good thing, it can't never be too much. Even before that information I always double checked. New technologies often exclude human factor or  put it to minimun and it's good to use advantages that gives us but  always be aware of potential issues.

[EdenHazard]

I am not aware of this but I'm not using a QR code and there is a warning

"[As QR] codes are not humanly readable, it opens an avenue for fraud," added ZenGo's Tal Be'ery.

This will cast a bad light in using QR code for now on because it is not readable, there is no way to know if the code is real of from a different address, I will not advise people to stop using it, but they know that something like this exists and they have to take extra precaution when dealing with QR code.

You can't encourage people to stop using QR code , instead  encourage them to use only the QR code from the trusted provider ... not from a random free websites,  it must be well known provider/generator so whenever there's something wrong you can take something further.

It's not secret anymore, it's not surprised ... your data is never safe online. Instead blaming the tool or something else, how about to level up your personal ability to defend your own data in this digital era? in this interrelated computing era? It's inevitable that you are at risk once you get connected to internet, once you get connected with other devices.

QR code is fine , the users not .

[panganib999]

Here's another privacy issue and extra-carefulness is always needed!
There are a lot of people who use QR codes to share different data (also to share bitcoin or other cryptos) from their smartphones and the article below states the risks of using QR codes.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/09/12/researchers-have-issued-a-serious-bitcoin-qr-code-warning/#3254ef2c6d12

QR codes has been giving people the very convenience people had been looking for, Imaging making transactions just by scanning a code. But this QR codes are also prone to counterfeiting and manipulations especially if handed to the wrong hands. So for people to avoid being victimized by QR code scams, make sure to only use QRs that are from a trusted source and are not from anywhere around the internet. No one is to be blame if you've got yourself into scams for you are the one who decides what will you let to happen.

[Inkdatar]

I remember this was the case when I was about to share some methods about convenient payment using Bitcoin in our local board. The site that I was getting on how to get an easy QR code for a Bitcoin address is a scam. because when I am getting the QR code for my BTC address, a different address would appear if I tried to scan the QR code I made from that site. That's why when I read this, I can relate because I was closed to get scammed by that site.

I tried once using QR codes somehow it reflects different address also. This proves that we are many experiences this kind of situation. Good thing there’s someone who shared awareness to us users in bitcoin. Hence, we must be cautious for us not to be a victim of scam.

[YuginKadoya]

I have seen a mobile application on Android that lets you scan a QR code so he or she can get the password of any WIFI of the phone or mobile device that are connected to that specific WIFI, I guess this is what the QR code has been doing for people to hack their personal profile,  Identity, and even Password this is a sure fair warning to everyone to be very cautious of anything that they will do, We are really not safe anymore anything can be used as a means of phishing and hacking anything, I guess even mobile application and games can sometimes become a phishing modulator for hackers as well.

[vapourminer]

this topic aint new but worth a mention
other tricks are that these qr readers may actually have a list of 200k-11m addresses preloaded of vanity gen addresses of every first 3-4 characters of an address. but where the scammer has all the privkeys of.

because some people only check the first few characters the destination of a tx appears to match where you hope it should go, so people are easily duped if in a rush

best advice after scanning an address. check the destination. its best to check the whole address matchs, but if in a rush check the final few characters. not the first few. this is because its harder to vanity gen the final few characters than it is to gen the first few

definitely this. when in a hurry for smallish amounts i at least check the 1st few, last few and something in the middle. there are almost always 3 or 4 consecutive characters in the middle of the addy somewhere that stand out well due to whatever reason. so easy to spot and compare.

for larger amounts of course i would check more that that.

[mitchr4]

I have seen a mobile application on Android that lets you scan a QR code so he or she can get the password of any WIFI of the phone or mobile device that are connected to that specific WIFI, I guess this is what the QR code has been doing for people to hack their personal profile,  Identity, and even Password this is a sure fair warning to everyone to be very cautious of anything that they will do, We are really not safe anymore anything can be used as a means of phishing and hacking anything, I guess even mobile application and games can sometimes become a phishing modulator for hackers as well.

This is something new that people need to know, especially those who often use QR codes. For the future, we need to be careful to use this, especially if we use an application that provides this feature and has a bad rating. Technology is increasingly sophisticated and there are people who use this as their personal interests by committing fraud. The internet world is already insecure.

[oktana]

This is really terrible because the technology is as sophisticated as bitcoin and using QR code can have loopholes that can be used to steal the assets of the owner, but for the moment I have never experienced this incident because I do not use other applications to make transactions using bitcoin.

anxiety comes not only from third-party QR applications, but from non-crypto applications that unconsciously have access to the possibility of hacking personal wallets. As we know, many popular applications today increase access options for managing personal data management systems on smartphones during installation. At this level, the smartphone will be automatically accessed from the inside.

[bhabygrim]

Here's another privacy issue and extra-carefulness is always needed!
There are a lot of people who use QR codes to share different data (also to share bitcoin or other cryptos) from their smartphones and the article below states the risks of using QR codes.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/09/12/researchers-have-issued-a-serious-bitcoin-qr-code-warning/#3254ef2c6d12

Good thing that I don't really use it and I would never used any QR payment I am more comfortable on using the BTC address.
I think it is much more easier that way since it is how I get to know how to send my crypto.
Besides I am using my phone so using QR to pay would mean that I need to download some app.

[kryptqnick]

Here's another privacy issue and extra-carefulness is always needed!
There are a lot of people who use QR codes to share different data (also to share bitcoin or other cryptos) from their smartphones and the article below states the risks of using QR codes.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/09/12/researchers-have-issued-a-serious-bitcoin-qr-code-warning/#3254ef2c6d12

I remember some similar stuff going on a month ago or so. It's terrible that QR-code misdirections work like this. I've never used a QR code to perform a financial operation and I don't intend to do that. I cannot distinguish one QR-code from another, which means I cannot be sure whether I'm sending money to the right person. When I see an address, I'm always checking it a couple of times before finalizing the operation. I think it's easy enough to use addresses, so why generate something you might not understand or use it to put the operation at risk? With these troubling QR-code cases I hope people will start using them less.

[serjent05]

The thing is why do we need to use a third party apps to create a qr code? As far as I know electrum had it already.  Exchanges and other legit third party platform also implement qr code for the bitcoin address.  I do not know why do someone have to bother himself to look for QR code generator just to send a transaction.  Isn't it too much of an effort to give scammer an opportunity to steal our sent out bitcoin?

[dothebeats]

Day by day, hackers and other nefarious entities within the bitcoin and crypto ecosystem are becoming smarter and smarter and are looking for ways/vectors onto which they can propagate their plans. I have always considered QR codes to be somewhat scary to scan especially if it can be easily altered into something else and regular people cannot easily notice unless someone tells them that that is already an unsafe QR code to scan. Knowing how it can be instructed to do something else to your smartphone the moment you scan it makes it even scarier, though of course not to the point that it can instruct your wallet to send coins automatically. The only way to prevent being tricked with this is to not scan codes unless you are sure that it really is the one that you need, or at least it was generated by a trusted entity.

[semobo]

Here's another privacy issue and extra-carefulness is always needed!
There are a lot of people who use QR codes to share different data (also to share bitcoin or other cryptos) from their smartphones and the article below states the risks of using QR codes.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/09/12/researchers-have-issued-a-serious-bitcoin-qr-code-warning/#3254ef2c6d12

I read these things few months earlier where QR codes were manipulated from what it supposed to be with device security issues so always prefer to use bitcoin address over QR codes and double check the address even if you copy pasted it because of clipboard bugs can cause to lose bitcoins as well.

[nankers]

Here's another privacy issue and extra-carefulness is always needed!
There are a lot of people who use QR codes to share different data (also to share bitcoin or other cryptos) from their smartphones and the article below states the risks of using QR codes.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/09/12/researchers-have-issued-a-serious-bitcoin-qr-code-warning/#3254ef2c6d12

many ways for hackers to try to steal crypto assets that we have. the basic principle is that we think of 1 or 2 security steps, whereas hackers think of 10 or 20 hacking steps. the simple prevention that I have been applying is only accuracy. I always check the compatibility of QR codes and wallet addresses when sending bitcoin or altcoin

[Artemis3]

Here's another privacy issue and extra-carefulness is always needed!
There are a lot of people who use QR codes to share different data (also to share bitcoin or other cryptos) from their smartphones and the article below states the risks of using QR codes.  

You and Forbes are seriously misleading people here. I hope you reflect and change your thread title.

A quick skim at this article you bring, and here is the REAL content:

asking Google for a "bitcoin qr generator" led to scam websites–

Just reading this alone within the article proves:

• Forbes is using a sensationalist header
• You are helping them reproduce the FUD

If you type "bitcoin" in google, chances are you are going to find countless scam and phishing sites. This has nothing to do with:

• Bitcoin
• QR codes
• Security regarding either

Please stop spreading this nonsense, and get to the facts, even if the media you pull the article from does not in the header, READ the content and extract the truth. This is NOT even "news", scammers and phishers have existed even before Bitcoin. And this is not a security warning, but a social one, as it still takes for someone to get convinced to go to one of these sites...

Just how you think most malware gets spread anyway? Most use bait like this...

This is just a mobile equivalent of the Windows copy/paste Bitcoin address swapping malware. So don't install it in the first place...

[Tylev]

No technology can be absolutely invulnerable. Everything invented in the digital world can be hacked by more advanced technology. Therefore, in the world of digital technology, we can never feel safe, especially if we are connected by a single network with others.
If I need to pass a specific code to someone, I send it with some changed letters or numbers. After that, I inform him of these changes by telephone. It is very difficult to control all communication channels at the same time.

[airdnasxela]

No matter how much others try to improve technology to make our life easier, others will always find a way to use it for their own profit. The purpose is to help people but cons always occur because of others greediness. QR code provides easier access by just scanning it. Less-hassle, but because in today's world, evilness is growing, it cause more fear to everyone. Instead of making things easier, they will just doubt it.

[Jating]

Old news already, it has been shared many times in this community: [Alert! Alert] Bitcoin QR Generator” lead to scam websites. (recent one).

I wouldn't even consider this a serious security warning though, you just need common sense and check everything before you send your funds over. That is the first thing you have to learn in case you want yourself to be involved in this market.

[elyorman]

Old news already, it has been shared many times in this community: [Alert! Alert] Bitcoin QR Generator” lead to scam websites. (recent one).

I wouldn't even consider this a serious security warning though, you just need common sense and check everything before you send your funds over. That is the first thing you have to learn in case you want yourself to be involved in this market.

1. It's not too old to be posted again!
2. It's impossible to follow after all the posts and obviously there are still a lot of people who would find it helpful.