Recently there has been reports of QR codes on Nestle products like Maggi and Kit Kat when scanned which suppose to redirect customers to commercials about the products, is instead being directed to some questionable sites.

A clear case of Malware attack, someone managed to somehow hack into the system and move traffic to a particular website- Mad Labs which then warned users their data could be illegally retrieved. Nestle was unable to make any contact with the website owner prompting the food giant to report to MCMC. The agency has subsequently issued a notice, warning the public to take precautionary steps when scanning the QR codes.

The promotional strategy was initially to create more interaction with consumers with contest and other gimmicks but without a fool proof security system in place, hackers and bad actors will look at ways to steal valuable data especially personal information. Of late, there has been high profile cases of information being leaked or stolen even from giant technology companies, sites the public trusted and shared their most intimate details.

MCMC is now tasked to track down the culprits who can be from anywhere in the world, an arduous job indeed but more so the agency should get companies to procure top notch methods to safeguard user information or even come up with a SOP when acquiring public data.