QR codes are present in our everyday lives for different purposes. Recent research [1] has shown that they can contain specifically crafted URLs that may be used to track or profile online users. Also, new sophisticated techniques have been developed to hide malicious QR codes in phishing (or 'quishing') emails [2]. This shows that QR codes, despite their widespread use, pose a significant security risk.
The goal of this thesis is to investigate this matter further by observing and collecting QR codes, analyzing them regarding potential misuse, and developing effective countermeasures. This can be done, for example, for printed QR codes in the "real world" or by looking at digitally distributed QR codes.
If this project sounds interesting to you, please don't hesitate to contact the supervisor.
References:
[1] "QRisk: Think Before You Scan QR Codes" https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-032-00627-1_1.pdf
[2] "Threat Spotlight: Split and nested QR codes fuel new generation of ‘quishing’ attacks" https://blog.barracuda.com/2025/08/20/threat-spotlight-split-nested-qr-codes-quishing-attacks