QR Code

By Tarun Patel
How did QR Codes Start?

The QR code (an shortform for quick

response code)
Masahiro Hara from the Japanese
business Denso Wave created the QR
code method in 1994.
A Go board's black and white pieces
served as inspiration for the original
design. During the production process,
they need a more precise method of
tracking the cars and parts. To
accomplish this, a sort of barcode that
could encode kanji, kana, and
alphanumeric characters was created to
replace many bar codes that had to be
read individually from each box.
 Why QR codes over Barcodes
Barcodes and QR codes can both carry similar
information. But while bar codes store information
only horizontally with parallel lines (1D), QR codes
can store it both vertically and horizontally (2D).
The Quick Response system became popular
outside the automotive industry due to its fast
readability and greater storage capacity compared
to standard UPC barcodes. Applications include
product tracking, item identification, time tracking,
document management, and general marketing.
While a barcode can represent up to 25
characters, a QR code can go up to 2500. This
means you can include much more information,
like the URL of a product’s page on your webshop.
QR codes can be smaller - a QR code can be up to
10 times smaller than a bar code and still readable.
So you can print smaller labels that carry more
information.
QR codes are easier to read - to read a barcode you
have to aim the scanner in line with the code, while
a QR code can be read from any angle. When you
have many items to scan, you won’t have to
perfectly aim the scanner every time.
QR codes work even when damaged - QR codes
have a high error correction margin. So even if
around 30% of the code is unreadable (erased,
damaged, dirty) the code still works.
 How do QR codes work?

A data-encoded scannable barcode is known as a QR

code. To be encoded is to change into a certain form.
When it comes to QR codes, numeric, alphanumeric,
byte, and kanji characters translate into a distinctive
two-dimensional arrangement of squares. The
arrangement of those squares is translated back into the
original form of the data when an optical scanner passes
over them.

Our URL is represented by the way the squares, or data

modules, are arranged in the QR code. The URL's
alphanumeric string has just been converted into a grid
of squares. That is how a link becomes a QR code. The
original URL will then be shown when a QR code is
scanned.
 Parts Of A QR Code

Quiet Zone - This is the empty white border around the outside of a QR
code. Without this border, a QR reader will not be able to determine
what is and is not contained within the QR code

Finder pattern - QR codes usually contain three black squares in the

bottom left, top left, and top right corners. These squares tell a QR reader
that it is looking at a QR code and where the outside boundaries of the
code lie.

Alignment pattern - This is another smaller square contained near the

bottom right corner. It ensures that the QR code can be read, even if it is
skewed or at an angle.

Timing pattern - This is an L-shaped line that runs between the three
squares in the finder pattern. The timing pattern helps the reader identify
individual squares within the whole code and makes it possible for a
damaged QR code to be read.

Version information - This is a small field of information contained near

the top–right finder pattern cell. This identifies which version of the QR
code is being read .

Data cells - The rest of the QR code communicates the actual

information, i.e., the URL, phone number, or message it contains.
Levels Of Error Correction

Level Name Percentage

The code blocks are then combined, decreasing the
Level L Low 7% likelihood that a single code block may become
overloaded due to a QR sign suffering localised damage.
Level M Medium 15%
Due to error correction, it is now feasible to design
Level Q Quartile 25% creative QR codes with embellishments to make them
more legible or eye-catching for humans. These codes
Level H High 30%
may also include colours, logos, and other
characteristics; the embellishments are considered as
The message is divided into many Reed- mistakes, but the codes still scan properly.
Solomon coding blocks in bigger QR symbols. By adjusting the underlying mathematical constructions,
The block size is selected to prevent the it is also feasible to create aesthetic QR codes without
decoding process from becoming too lowering the mistake correcting capability. Algorithms
complicated by preventing attempts to repair for image processing are also employed to lower QR-
more than 15 mistakes per block. code mistake rates.
 Uses of QR Code

1. Send clients to a landing page or website

Any landing page or website may be reached by scanning a QR

code, including a registration page. By doing this, the
inconvenience of visiting the website and browsing the page is
eliminated.

To measure your QR code precisely, be sure to utilise a special

URL paired with it.

2. Get applications

When you scan the QR code, it will take you to the app's
download page and begin the download. Businesses have
employed ingenuity to create visually appealing QR codes. QR
codes have been utilised in marketing campaigns for well-
known apps like Angry Birds.

In keeping with that, Spotify just made its song QR codes

available. By just scanning the QR code, users may now
promote or share their music with others, and it will instantly
play on their smartphone.
Risks Of QR Code

Common QR codes cannot carry executable data in any other context than the URL data type. Since a
reader typically sends data to the application associated with the data type used by the QR code, these
URLs may contain JavaScript code that can be used to exploit weaknesses in host system applications,
such as the reader, the web browser, or the image viewer.

Malicious QR codes mixed with a receptive reader can nonetheless compromise a computer's contents
and a user's privacy even in the absence of software flaws. Attagging, a portmanteau of "attack tagging,"
is the term used to describe this behaviour. They are simple to make and may be placed over real QR
codes. On a mobile device, the reader's rights may permit use of the camera, total Internet access,
read/write access to contacts, GPS, read/write access to local storage, and system-wide modifications.

In addition to sending email, SMS, or IM messages or packets for DDoS as part of a botnet, analysing
sensitive data (passwords, files, contacts, transactions), enabling the microphone, camera, or GPS, and
then streaming those feeds to a remote server, as well as corrupting privacy settings, stealing identity,
and even containing malicious logic themselves like JavaScript or a virus,These actions could occur in
the background.
Thank You