this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2025
104 points (95.6% liked)

News

37501 readers
1750 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious biased sources will be removed at the mods’ discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted separately but not to the post body. Sources may be checked for reliability using Wikipedia, MBFC, AdFontes, GroundNews, etc.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source. Clickbait titles may be removed.


Posts which titles don’t match the source may be removed. If the site changed their headline, we may ask you to update the post title. Clickbait titles use hyperbolic language and do not accurately describe the article content. When necessary, post titles may be edited, clearly marked with [brackets], but may never be used to editorialize or comment on the content.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials, videos, blogs, press releases, or celebrity gossip will be allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Mods may use discretion to pre-approve videos or press releases from highly credible sources that provide unique, newsworthy content not available or possible in another format.


7. No duplicate posts.


If an article has already been posted, it will be removed. Different articles reporting on the same subject are permitted. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners or news aggregators.


All posts must link to original article sources. You may include archival links in the post description. News aggregators such as Yahoo, Google, Hacker News, etc. should be avoided in favor of the original source link. Newswire services such as AP, Reuters, or AFP, are frequently republished and may be shared from other credible sources.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

KEY POINTS

Almost three-quarters of Americans (73%) scan QR codes without verification, and more than 26 million have already been directed to malicious sites, according to NordVPN.

The FTC warned earlier this year about scanning QR codes on unexpected packages.

New York City’s Department of Transportation issued a warning that scammers are posting QR codes on parking meters that are not legitimate payment links.

all 26 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] kayzeekayzee@lemmy.blahaj.zone 54 points 9 months ago (6 children)

I quite dislike the word "quishing"

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 20 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It sounds like the "shart" equivalent but with a queef instead of a fart.

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

It describes the water breaking

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It sounds like I stepped on a slug.

[–] humorlessrepost@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

On cam. For money.

Or at least for a loot box, if the AI likes you.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 3 points 9 months ago

It sounds like an old timey STD, like chlamydia but instead of having the clap ya have the quish. Quick someone help me come up with symptoms, I'm going with necrosis since it can make flesh squishy and that sounds about right for the name.

[–] MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Took me a while to figure out what it meant, « QR Code Fishing »

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

I still think it might be a sex act.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 23 points 9 months ago (3 children)

malicious qr codes have always been around. i remember the local news reports of them plastered to store directories at the mall. ya, that long ago.

[–] BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml 26 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I remember going to defcon in 2016 and there was a guy wielding a foam sword with a qr code t-shirt that said "scan me", and when you scanned it and told him it said "arrrr", he'd beat you with the sword while berating you for scanning an untrusted code.

Damn I'm just realizing that was almost 10 years ago

[–] thedruid@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

Yeah. Took like a day after they were publicly available , lol

[–] nadram@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

Yup, they were always a terrible idea

[–] echolalia@lemmy.ml 13 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I'm confused, isn't this just as risky as seeing a URL in the wild and typing it into your phone? Don't all phones display the URL you are about to visit?

The problem isn't the QR code itself, correct? It's a lack of education, and an incurious public that has no interest in learning about the technology that they depend on.

Seems like a skill issue.

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

I scan some legit QR codes and the URL preview is nonsense, because everyone uses link shortners and whatnot. I also don't scan random QR codes because I don't need any more information right now, I'm informationed out.

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

No, because phones don't show the URL you are going to. I can go to a restaurant and scan the menu, but the link that it shows me is "qrl.io/asccand....." because A) the restaurant used a URL shortener, and B) the phone truncates the URL to fit in the space.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago

My phone gives me about 20 characters.

[–] Luffy879@lemmy.ml 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Please note: Le source is le NordVPN

Just saying:

The statistic can not be applied to the wider population, since People who use such Services on a day to day Basis are usually the same ones who believe the lies NordVPN is throwing at them.

It would be like going to a ecstasy dealer and asking them how many people like drugs. Of course they will answer everyone, first because they have an incentive to advertise their services (nord advertises their VPN + Antivirus for blocking Malware) and even if they try to be neutral, they just don't have the data, since people who go to a Dealer are likely to like drugs, the same way people who believe Nord are the same ones who are likely to fall for such things

[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

It really does irk me that they pretend their service makes the internet safer for their users.

They have a good product in their VPN+Meshnet, but it wouldn’t have nearly the broad appeal it does if they were honest about it.

[–] salacious_coaster@infosec.pub 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I find it difficult to have sympathy for people who suffer predictable consequences after scanning unknown QR codes left in public.

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

What about the loads of restaurants that use them for menus?

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 months ago

Clearly those restaurants are cheap shitholes and don't deserve business. What ever happened to having a board, if you don't want individual menus just put up a couple boards that are visible from the tables and booths.

[–] salacious_coaster@infosec.pub 2 points 9 months ago

A QR code handed to you by a restaurant employee would not be "unknown." I was thinking of codes found left at a bus stop or something.

Also, QR code menus are a dick move by a restaurant, and I would just walk out, personally.

[–] IamSparticles@lemmy.zip 1 points 9 months ago

I don't go around scanning random codes, but often times I have to scan a code for something like paying for parking. How can I know if someone put a sticker over it with a malicious URL?

[–] womjunru@lemmy.cafe 1 points 9 months ago

Wow that’s a great (criminal) idea to make money. I guess that’s fraud? I suppose it depends on the wording and the fine print.