Reader questions Minocqua QR codes, passes along words of caution

To the Editor:

The recent article that after one season Minocqua is planning to expand QR code boat landing fees to include general parking on the island of Minocqua. Not really well versed on QR codes and their use I did an internet search to familiarize myself.

At first blush it would seem to be a no brainer, but I don’t believe that all the consequences and or ramifications have been considered. What works for three boat landings does not necessarily lend itself to large area coverage.

Two examples:

“Is QR technology a headache for Texas cities” “Beware of ‘Quishing’: Criminals Use QR Codes to Steal Data – GovTec,” “Some Texas cities have been hit with a phishing scam designed to get users to pay for parking through fraudulent QR code stickers on public parking meters. Officials say the codes have already been discovered in Austin, Houston and San Antonio.

“The use of QR codes for parking business processes in itself is not harmful. But if they are not installed in a trusted, controlled, and physically secure environment, they could be targets for tampering. For instance, scammers could replace legitimately posted QR codes with fake ones, leading the customer to malicious links or even to download malware on their phones.

“In parking, QR codes are best suited for parking garages and gated lots rather than for open street parking or un-monitored facilities. Vending the gates is an ideal process to automate with QR codes, but care should be taken if QR codes are used to prompt the customer to initiate payment processes.

“Customers should be taken to the payment process via a secured link sent to them only after they have been able to physically verify a trusted and expected second factor outcome, like the opening of a gate arm. If that expected second factor outcome does not take place, it would caution the customer that something is wrong, and they can notify the attendant immediately to take corrective action. This prevents any other customer from exposure if it indeed happened due to a fake QR code.”

It would seem that as long as a defined parking lot and or designated parking area is closely monitored “quishing” can be averted. One other thought — QR codes are dependent on smart phones. Not everyone has one or may have say a flip phone. A followup in depth article would be appreciated.

John Kocovsky 

Hazelhurst