The QR code on PC-Covid can be scanned with the phone’s camera and can show some personal information of the user, hence the need to hide it.
In addition to scanning to record entry and exit at locations, QR code on epidemic prevention applications Contains user information as a string of characters. Information in this string includes: full name, ID number or CCCD number, date of birth, user code on the national QR platform, and extended information such as: gender, phone number, insurance card number.
Recently, many people are excited to share pictures of “Covid Green Card” from the application. pc-covid On social networks without obscuring the QR code. Some people even send codes to the service hard card printing Use while on the go.
According to security experts, there are several potential risks of information insecurity in these operations. Anecdotal testing shows that when using certain scanning software on the phone, the information in the QR code is displayed perfectly.
The QR code on PC-Covid can be scanned with the phone camera and can get some information. In the new version, users can hide this information with the * character. Photo: luu qi
Tran Tuyen, a technology expert working in Hanoi, said, “Since the information from the QR is displayed in a pure form, anyone viewing it can know what the user’s identification number, full name, date of birth are.” “Just as people protect information on citizenship, they should also protect the QR on PC-COVID application.”
Meanwhile, a representative of the National Center for Technology for COVID-19 Prevention and Control confirmed that the display of people’s information while scanning the QR code on PC-Covid is not a security error.
Notably, the QR code on the application is similar to that of a citizen ID or health insurance card, which will show some personal information when scanned. The difference is that the COVID card has only one QR code, so this information cannot be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, the level of security of the code depends on how people use it.
“The existing option is no less secure than the traditional alternatives. However, with technology, we will continuously upgrade the security of this QR code,” said the Centre’s representative. And advised restricted users to share QR codes.
In fact, according to technology experts, it is easier to protect a QR code on an application than a civilian identity. Because the ID is a physical card, it can be lost, or some services, locations, buildings… require users to send their ID back, which can lead to a data leak. Meanwhile, the QR code is displayed in the application, the phone needs to be unlocked to get it.
In Update On October 1, the PC-COVID application also added the QR information hiding feature. user is activated by logging in Menu > Settings > Hide info on QR. The code will have a yellow border when hidden. If scanned, some characters in full name, ID number, date of birth and phone number will be replaced with *. The Center also said that QR codes will be linked with digital signatures in the near future to avoid forgery.
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