Laava Smart Fingerprints® vs QR codes
QR codes were designed for automation, but never for authentication. Data is directly encoded, making them exposed and vulnerable to malicious attacks.
Counterfeiters can create QR codes online easily and instantaneously, then put them on fake products with a fake claim of authenticity (known as ‘spoofing’). Consumers have no way to identify if the QR code they are scanning is legitimate or not. When brands use Laava Smart FingerprintsⓇ, this method of attack is removed.
A game changer
Every Smart Fingerprint is a uniquely generated image. We have removed the data from the code and turned it into a unique scannable mark, an optical fingerprint, The Global Mark of Trust™.
| SMART FINGERPRINTS | QR CODES | |
|---|---|---|
|
TECHNOLOGY
|
SMART FINGERPRINTS
✓ Laava Smart Fingerprints® utilise patented optical technology. A randomly generated and optically captured Laava image is matched by Laava on our secure servers before any content is allowed to be transmitted. |
QR CODES
✗ QR codes are simple machine-readable codes. Content is embedded, and can be read or generated by anyone - including bad actors. QR technology was designed for identification, not authentication. |
SECURITY
|
SMART FINGERPRINTS
✓ The Laava ecosystem operates securely in the cloud. Only Laava customers can generate Laava Smart Fingerprints®, and only the Laava scanner can read them, limiting opportunities for bad actors. Every scan is logged and checked against business rules. Content screens are managed by Laava, rather than being simple web pages. |
QR CODES
✗ QR Codes are based on open standards. Bad actors can build their own QR codes or readers. And even if QR codes include additional "security" features like special inks or images, they all essentially look the same, so bad actors simply make their own look-alike codes which take the user to a fake authentication website. |
ENGAGEMENT
|
SMART FINGERPRINTS
✓ Laava has been designed for consumer engagement. Laava Smart Fingerprints® are consumer friendly, and can be branded. The Laava web scanner and WeChat mini program provide rich engagement experiences and can be embedded in the brand owner's websites, apps or mini programs. |
QR CODES
✗ QR codes were not designed for consumer engagement. They look like machine code, and some link to a brand website, while others talk about a product - confusing consumers. There is now growing consumer awareness of the lack of security of QR codes due to an increase of bad experiences. |
BLOCKCHAIN
|
SMART FINGERPRINTS
✓ Laava is built with far higher security than QR codes, making it perfect for blockchain. Every scan is recorded and tracked. Suspicious Fingerprints can carry warnings or be cancelled in real time. |
QR CODES
✗ QR codes weren't built for blockchain environments. They can often be the weakest link in a blockchain architecture. They are a fundamentally open technology which opens serious vulnerabilities in otherwise secure blockchain environments. |
Spoofing and substitution: how QR codes can be dangerous
Security experts have long warned that QR codes are a growing problem – and there is increasing awareness of their risks among businesses, policy makers and even consumers. Terms like substitution, spoofing, bad actors and malware appear more and more often in connection with QR codes. Understand why QR codes are dangerous and what your alternative is.
Reid Fruits have made the switch
Reid Fruits chose to integrate Smart Fingerprints on their export cherry packaging after several QR code spoofing incidents.
“Laava is using a newer, higher standard of optical recognition which is not so easy to impersonate or replicate. We also wanted something that would be ready to roll out for the 2019–20 season and Laava’s technology was ready to go.”
Manager, Marketing and Sales, Reid Fruits
Still have questions?
Read our FAQs for more information. Start a conversation via our LiveChat or contact the Laava Customer Support team.
"Better image recognition software will likely make QR obsolete in a decade."
Masahiro Hara Inventor of the QR code (2014)