A watermarking technique to secure printed QR codes using a statistical test
Hoai Phuong Nguyen, Agnès Delahaies, Florent Retraint, Dục Huy Nguyen, Marc Michel Pic, Frédéric Morain-Nicolier · 2017
The QR (Quick Response) code is a two-dimensional barcode, which was designed for storage information and high-speed reading applications. Being cheap to produce and fast to read, it becomes actually a popular solution for product labeling. Ones try to make QR code a solution against counterfeiting. In this paper, we present a novel technique that permits to create a secure printed QR code which is robust against Scan & Reprint attack. The code is constructed by replacing the background of the standard one by a specific textured pattern which does not affect the normal reading of the encoded message. Scan & Reprint attacks lead to the degradation of the texture and change its statistical characteristics, which can be detected thanks to a statistical hypothesis testing. The experimental results show a good performance of the proposed solution.