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SINGAPORE – At the end of the year, Singapore will switch to a new Covid-19 management tool: SafeEntry, only for TraceTogether.
This system is more effective for contact tracing and provides better cyber hygiene, making the switch a no-brainer.
SafeEntry, for TraceTogether only, combines what are now two separate systems: TraceTogether, to identify those in close contact with Covid-19 patients; and SafeEntry, which digitally checks visitors in most locations, to determine which facilities people infected with the coronavirus have visited.
Once the TraceTogether-only integrated SafeEntry system is fully implemented, no one will be able to use their phone cameras or the SingPass mobile app to scan the SafeEntry QR code to enter cinemas, restaurants, workplaces, schools and centers. commercial. And site operators will not scan barcodes on NRICs to allow people in.
With the aforementioned registration methods discontinued, people will have to use their TraceTogether app to scan the SafeEntry QR code, or the TraceTogether token, which has a unique QR code, for site operators to scan.
Since SafeEntry is already required in most places, combining the two technologies is a convenient way to force people to use TraceTogether, which is currently voluntary.
Why is this move necessary?
It is getting at least 75% of the population to participate in digital contact tracing. This is the minimum adoption rate required for TraceTogether to function the way it was designed.
The TraceTogether smartphone app and wearable token work by exchanging Bluetooth signals with each other to identify who has been within 2m of a Covid-19 patient for more than 30 minutes.
This information enables quick contact tracing to slow the spread of Covid-19. Without it, Singapore could not host more travelers, business activities and social gatherings in the third phase of its reopening.
QR code scams
Cyber hygiene is where it gets really interesting: scanning QR codes with a phone camera makes you vulnerable to scams.
Authorities have not warned the public against using their smartphone camera to scan the SafeEntry QR code. But scanning the SafeEntry QR code with the phone’s camera is not safe.
A hacker trying to collect a database of NRICs and phone numbers can easily replace the SafeEntry QR code with a fake code that directs users to a fake online form. This is not something that a smartphone camera can detect or prevent.
It is easy to replace QR codes as they are displayed publicly.
QR code scams have become a concern of late as people become more reliant on digital tools. The entire nation got used to the idea of scanning a QR code after the use of SafeEntry was mandatory in most places in May.
Now, people are scanning a QR code to pay for their bubble tea or download location maps, discount coupons, product information, and restaurant menus. But most of the users are not aware of the dangers associated with QR codes. This is practically a gift for cybercriminals.
For example, QR codes can be encoded with malicious links to redirect users to fake websites, where they are asked for confidential information, such as banking credentials.
Malicious links can also lead users to malware-infested websites where spyware can be unknowingly downloaded.
Recognizing this problem, Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA) has warned the public about the dangers associated with scanning QR codes.
“It is easy for an attacker to print and superimpose their own malicious QR codes on top of legitimate QR codes,” CSA posted on its website. “You can become a victim of a phishing operation if you enter your login credentials after scanning a QR code.”
Entering venues using the SingPass app helps avoid the QR code security issue, but the app is slow and bloated. Also, the SingPass app does not have TraceTogether’s Bluetooth capabilities.
Enter SafeEntry from TraceTogether only.
The TraceTogether app can validate the QR code you scan. When it encounters an unauthorized QR code, the app will alert users with: “This does not look like a SafeEntry QR code.”
Token users, however, don’t need to scan anything. The token has a unique QR code for site operators to scan.
As of November 1, around 570,000 tokens had been delivered and 2.7 million downloads of the TraceTogether app had been recorded.
The authorities plan to produce 2.7 million tokens or more, if demand increases.
It is in everyone’s interest to switch to TraceTogether’s unique new SafeEntry system and do it quickly.
Not only will its use reduce the huge opportunity costs of delayed travel and resuming business, or worse yet another circuit breaker, the new system will also fill existing cyber hygiene gaps that could lead to massive data leaks. .
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