While we talk about malware adversely affecting your network and the importance of network security numerous times on this blog did you know that malware can also infect your smartphone? If you own a smartphone you probably download various applications, use the helpful features, and you may have even scanned a QR codes to reveal promotions or information about a company. Malicious hackers and coders are jumping at the chance to spread malware that they can profit from and QR codes offer them this opportunity. When smartphone users who scan QR codes see a new code they may scan it because they think it’s a promotion that they want to participate in or they are merely curious where the code will lead them.

Malicious hackers are creating QR codes that lead to malicious sites that will execute illicit actions on your phone, reported Dark Reading.

“QR codes are growing in popularity and seem to be popping up everywhere — magazine ads, newsletters, real-estate signs, newspaper ads, and in trade-show booths,” says Paul Henry, security and forensic analyst at Lumension. “In the simplest of terms, a QR code is a 2D bar code that can store data which can then be read by smartphone users. The data is an easy way to direct a user to a particular website with a simple scan of the QR code, but it could also just as easily be a link to a malicious website.”

When you see a QR code you simply take a picture of the code with your smartphone with a QR code reader and it will lead you to a site. It is a simple concept but its simplicity can be dangerous because QR codes, much like a standard barcode, don’t reveal information about the site you will be visiting until your phone loads the page and by then the malware may be spreading to your phone.

“The big problem is that the QR code to a human being is nothing more than ‘that little square with a bunch of strange blocks in it.’ There’s no way to tell what is behind that QR code,” says Damon Petraglia, director of forensic and information security services for Chartstone. “And the biggest risk is that people cannot deny their own curiosity. If people see a random QR code that’s not connected to anything, just a sticker on the wall, they’re going to scan it because they want to know what the heck it is.”

The next time you see a QR code make sure you think twice before scanning it and only scan codes that you feel confident are trustworthy. While QR codes are a great and useful tool they can also cause unnecessary and possibly irreparable damage to your phone or various online accounts.