U.S. Energy Giant Falls Victim to Unprecedented QR Code Phishing Attack QR codes are free and easy to read and have now been used in an email Phishing attack on a US energy giant. The attack is based on the fact that corporate and private email protection systems normally permit jpg, and pdf files in […]

  “… As sure as eggs is eggs” (found in a dictionary of slang published in 1699) We made Countermark the way it is because we knew that manufacturers, food producers and packaging lines already know all about using Continuous Ink Jet Print (CIJP) – the two rows of distinctive dot-based characters – sometimes with […]

  1st Law of data security: ‘We can design a system that’s proof against accident or stupidity; but we can’t design one that’s proof against deliberate malice…’ Arthur C Clark’s (ACC’s) Law appears in Chapter 28 of his 1968 book, 2001: A Space Odyssey, after we discover that the spaceships AI system, HAL, resolves conflicting […]

The paper form used to show that a repaired aircraft part is genuine is mandatory and has the same format all over the planet. So cannot be changed without regulatory effort on all continents. The form is called Form1 It requires an original signature, and no way for the buyer to verify the signature. We […]

Jet engine maker CFM International said thousands of engine components may have been sold with forged paperwork by AOG Technics. Countermark stops this type of fraud. The aerospace industry uses a standard FORM1, to vouchsafe repaired and resold parts. The only authentication is a signature that the buyer cannot compare with the genuine signature. Countermark […]

  At the University of Wales Trinity St David this week – introducing Countermark as a blockchain backed traceability tool. UWTSD is developing and showcasing factory 4.0 including a range of digital technologies to enhance the competitiveness of Welsh businesses. Their workshop is set up to show case the technology, train personnel and support technology […]

  Countermark will be on display on Tuesday at Ffatri 4.0 – Showcasing the Future for Welsh Industry The Welsh Government wants to help Welsh industry exploit the opportunities that technology like blockchain can bring by improving innovation and enhancing product quality. Wessex will be showcasing Countermark as a simple to use full traceability application […]

  Countermark – a different type of data carrier, for different language types: Encrypted and controlled, cannot be faked and spoofed like QR-codes. Countermark keeps people safe from QR based cybercrime Human readable, so can be integrated into invoices and delivery notes. Putting the traceability data into financial records simplifies audits even after the product […]

Countermark – a different type of data carrier, great for traceability: – Encrypted and controlled, cannot be faked and spoofed like QR-codes. Countermark keeps people safe from QR based cybercrime – Human readable, so can be integrated into invoices and delivery notes. Putting the traceability data into financial records simplifies audits even after the product […]

(From Left to right: Mahesh Kannath, Alan Bell, Emily Hunt and Odayne Haughton)   Visit to MADE at the University of Wales TSD in Swansea I recently attended MADE at the University of Wales TSD in Swansea.  I talked about food traceability and provenance using blockchain with Emily Hunt, Odayne Haughton and Mahesh Kannath from […]

How hard is it to tell a malicious QR code from a safe QR code? (They look very similar) There is advice from the FBI and Better Business Bureau, to look closely at the QR code, then decide before you scan – but probably you don’t want people to keep safe just on how things […]

We developed Countermark to avoid the inherent security problems of QR codes. We understand sometimes you need to attach data to physical objects, electronic documents and signage. The real sting in the tail with QRishing and QR fraud is that people are having to use their privately owned phones for two factor authentication on their […]