In today's digital world, data is the lifeblood of business. Yet, protecting this vital asset becomes more challenging every day. It's not just about guarding against traditional channels; new threats, like using QR Codes to hide sensitive information, are emerging as a way for malicious actors to bypass security systems. So, how do we tackle this?
The next-gen DLP, Risk Monitor,automatically recognizes text that users embed in quick response (QR) codes to bypass information security rules.
When QR Codes Become a Silent Threat
You might never have considered that the QR Codes we scan daily could become a conduit for critical organizational data to leak. However, malicious actors are exploiting their ability to embed text or links within these graphic codes to circumvent existing data security policies.
Risk Monitor cleverly closes this loophole by developing a system that can automatically "read" and "recognize" text embedded within QR Codes. The system treats these graphic codes as "text" and immediately applies your defined security policies to them.
Deep Dive: How Risk Monitor Handles QR Codes
Risk Monitor doesn’t just detect the presence of QR codes—it fully analyzes and decodes the content embedded within. Whether it's a URL, confidential text, or sensitive information, the system uses advanced analytics to uncover it all.
- Automatic Operation: This function works instantly with all new incoming traffic.
- Retrospective Analysis: You can analyze files that were previously transmitted to detect any past leaks.
- Universal Compatibility: Regardless of whether QR Codes are embedded in graphic files, text documents, or any other document type, Risk Monitor can identify and decode them all.
Sergio Bertoni, Lead Analyst at SearchInform, insightfully commented on this development:
"It is easy to prevent leaks caused by employees' mistakes and lack of information security awareness. However, when insiders act deliberately, they can be extremely inventive. Several of our clients have encountered attempts by intruders to steal confidential data by encrypting it in a graphic code and inserting it into documents as links. Thanks to the new capabilities of Risk Monitor, these leaks were successfully prevented,"
"QR code recognition can also be used to analyze incoming traffic, such as emails or messages received by employees from external sources. This helps identify suspicious links and provides an additional layer of protection against phishing attacks," he explained.
More Than Just QR Codes: Comprehensive Data Protection
Risk Monitor doesn't stop at QR Codes. It elevates overall Data Loss Prevention (DLP) by detecting leaks through other unconventional channels, such as:
- Photos of PC screens taken with smartphones
- Hidden layers in MS Office documents
- Draft emails containing confidential information
This empowers organizations to effectively identify sophisticated insider threats. This next-gen DLP system also notifies security teams of incidents and can respond swiftly by blocking data transfers or taking other rapid response measures. Recent updates further empower security specialists to immediately terminate a user's session if malicious activity is detected on an employee's computer, providing a robust mechanism for real-time threat mitigation.
ABOUT SEARCHINFORM
SearchInform is an information security and risk management product vendor as well as an MSS provider. The company's clients are more than 4000 companies in 20+ countries. Today, the team has products and services for comprehensive protection against insider threats at all levels of corporate information systems: FileAuditor (the DCAP class solution); DLP system with extended functionality; Risk Monitor (advanced platform for internal threat mitigation); SIEM system, IS outsourcing service.
Source: https://searchinform.com/news/product-news/2025/6/26/searchinform-risk-monitor-to-stop-data-leaks-via-qr-codes/