BEC Defender: QR Code-Based Methodology for Prevention of Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks

Anastasios Papathanasiou; George Liontos; Georgios Paparis; Vasiliki Liagkou; Euripides Glavas

doi:10.3390/s24051676

BEC Defender: QR Code-Based Methodology for Prevention of Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Mar 5;24(5):1676. doi: 10.3390/s24051676.

Authors

Anastasios Papathanasiou^{1

2}, George Liontos³, Georgios Paparis⁴, Vasiliki Liagkou², Euripides Glavas²

Affiliations

¹ Cyber Crime Division, Hellenic Police, 173 Alexandras Avenue, 11522 Athens, Greece.
² Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Ioannina, Kostaki Artas, 47150 Arta, Greece.
³ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
⁴ Independent Researcher, 10678 Athens, Greece.

Abstract

In an era of ever-evolving and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, protecting sensitive information from cyberattacks such as business email compromise (BEC) attacks has become a top priority for individuals and enterprises. Existing methods used to counteract the risks linked to BEC attacks frequently prove ineffective because of the continuous development and evolution of these malicious schemes. This research introduces a novel methodology for safeguarding against BEC attacks called the BEC Defender. The methodology implemented in this paper augments the authentication mechanisms within business emails by employing a multi-layered validation process, which includes a MAC address as an identity token, QR code generation, and the integration of timestamps as unique identifiers. The BEC-Defender algorithm was implemented and evaluated in a laboratory environment, exhibiting promising results against BEC attacks by adding an extra layer of authentication.

Keywords: MAC address; QR code encryption; authentication; business email compromise (BEC); cryptography; cybersecurity; digital communication security; email security; message authentication code; physical properties.

Grants and funding

The support of this work from the project “Immersive Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Center of Epirus” (MIS 5047221), which is implemented under the Action “Reinforcement of the Research and Innovation Infrastructure”, funded by the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014-2020) and co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund).