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I need details about QR code that provides information about whether its product is original or not.

The situation is a stamp that tells that this product has been certified as safe to be use by this safety boards. And its not for just one company. It has various range of products and company. And a fake product might just steal the QR code copy and paste it on their products.

So do you guys have any idea on how QR code helps? Is there any implementation yet?

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1 Answer

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QR Codes do not convey this type of information. They can be used to encode arbitrary text, a URL, or a number of other structured content, but in the end it's just printed information.

A QR Code is no more or less secure than any other label printed on an object.

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I'd argue that, if anything, QR codes are less secure than printed text, because a computer is involved. What if someone slaps a bunch of their own QR stickers over the top of your products? Could be dangerous. – Polynomial Oct 17 '12 at 5:47
How about this (insane?) scheme: 1. Digitally sign the product serial number with the company's private key 2. Have an app on your phone scanning the QR, which validates the QR with the company's public key and if it matches the serial number, we're alright? Or maybe I didn't think this one through? – Henning Klevjer Oct 17 '12 at 6:02
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@Polynomial QR Codes don't themselves have any security features or vulnerabilities except for those that are common with any printed content. Any insecurities in a machine can read it are attributes of the machine, not the QR Code. – tylerl Oct 17 '12 at 6:10
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@HenningKlevjer You're assuming that a counterfeit product can't simply copy the original product's serial number. That's silly. QR Codes don't magically make it possible to uniquely identify an item, and if you could uniquely identify an item then you wouldn't need a QR Code. They're as relevant as box of ducks when it comes to security. – tylerl Oct 17 '12 at 6:17
Heh, you're right. Lucky I have my (insane?)-disclaimer pointed out! – Henning Klevjer Oct 17 '12 at 6:25
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