Hacking by QR code

Hi, it’s Drake in New York. The QR code has one more annoying use case. But first...Three things you need to know today:• Microsoft CEO said [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi, it’s Drake in New York. The QR code has one more annoying use case. But first... Three things you need to know today: • Microsoft CEO said AI will be [as big as the internet]( • NYC banned [TikTok from officials’ phones]( • Tech job [cuts are slowing]( Scan this, and type your password Along with Zoom and those little silicone thingies that allow you to attach hand sanitizer bottles to the zipper of your fanny pack, one of the technologies Covid has thrust into our lives is the QR code. At this point, we’ve all gotten accustomed to using them to Venmo friends, tip people without making physical contact and log in remotely to our work stations. We’ve gotten used to — and then tired of — using them to order drinks and food at restaurants. It makes sense, then, that hackers have started using them, too. According to the cybersecurity firm Cofense, an unnamed major US energy company was [targeted with a phishing attack]( using QR codes attached to emails. The phishing emails purported to be from Microsoft, telling receivers to scan the attached QR codes to review security requirements and update their accounts. In fact, scanning the codes landed targets on sites set up to steal their information. The codes allowed the phishing messages to elude email security filters that search for known malicious links. They also, on some level, bypass our own human security filters. QR codes predate the pandemic, of course; they were on food packaging and bus stop ads. But they seemed like a bit of a gimmick, and most people didn’t have to rely on them in their everyday lives. I remember downloading a QR scanner app for my smartphone and using it maybe once. A phishing email with a QR code sent in 2019, in other words, would have seemed strange and suspicious. Now they’re a Pavlovian cue, prompting us to reach unthinkingly for our phones. I’m not a fan of QR codes. Part of it is that I resent having to look at and manipulate a screen to order nachos from a person standing right in front of me. But another part is that it’s one more example of information being presented to me illegibly, in a way that I then must have a device interpret. It’s like living in a country where I don’t speak the language and where the only things that speak the language are computers. It now only confirms my worst suspicions that the messages the codes contain are sometimes malicious lies. Apparently, QR codes were invented to label and track car parts. That seems like a really good idea. Let’s not use them for anything else. —[Drake Bennett](mailto:dbennett35@bloomberg.net) The big story Peloton is pitching its equipment as a workplace perk, a [bid to restart growth]( for a fading star of the pandemic. One to watch [Watch the Bloomberg Technology TV analysis]( of Walmart earnings and the retailer’s push into tech. Get fully charged China is dragging the global smartphone market to its [worst year in a decade](. Amazon offered influencers $25 per video for product promotions, sharply undercutting [what video creators typically charge](. High costs won’t deter Germany from removing parts made by China’s Huawei, [an official said](. Meanwhile, a chip design company said it [could sell more to China]( if not for new export restrictions. Applied Materials gave a strong forecast, a sign that the worst of the [chip slump may be over](. Spotify considered an unusual move to improve profit margins: [ban white noise podcasts](. Two tech luminaries quit their jobs to build AI [inspired by fish and bees](. More from Bloomberg Get Bloomberg Tech newsletters in your inbox: - [Cyber Bulletin]( for coverage of the shadow world of hackers and cyber-espionage - [Game On]( for reporting on the video game business - [Power On]( for Apple scoops, consumer tech news and more - [Screentime]( for a front-row seat to the collision of Hollywood and Silicon Valley - [Soundbite]( for reporting on podcasting, the music industry and audio trends - [Hyperdrive]( for expert insight into the future of cars Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Tech Daily newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](