SafeScan

Have you ever wondered if a QR code you're scanning may actually be malicious? SafeScan QR acts as a barrier for you, making sure that the QR codes you scan are indeed safe!

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Inspiration

We wanted to develop a tool that decodes and analyzes QR codes to determine if it is malicious. QR codes are everywhere, but it is hard to know whether one is safe before opening it, especially when it could hide a phishing link, wallet scam, download, or suspicious payload.

What it does

SafeScan QR lets users scan and upload a QR code, then analyzes what is inside before the user decides if they want to execute the payload. It can detect URLs and non-URL QR payloads, show a safety result, track safe scanning activity, support Google sign-in, connect a Solana wallet, and reward eligible users through an Solana layer 2 token airdrop system.

How we built it

We built the frontend with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, focused on a clean scanning experience. The backend is built in Python with FastAPI and stores user scan data, wallet connections, referral activity, and airdrop eligibility. We also integrated Solana tools for wallet-based rewards.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge was making QR detection work across different image qualities, especially screenshots versus photos taken from a phone. We also worked through Google sign-in behavior, wallet detection, scan counting, and making sure repeated scans did not unfairly increase a user’s progress. Another major challenge was integrating the crypto functionality with the backend and ensuring it connected smoothly with the frontend experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that SafeScan QR is more than just a static demo. It has real account flow, wallet connection, QR analysis, scan tracking, tier progress, and a working reward structure. We also built it around a practical cybersecurity problem that everyday users can understand.

What we learned

We learned how important it is to design security tools that are simple and approachable. We also learned more about QR payload formats, backend scan validation, Solana wallet flows, and how frontend design choices affect user trust.

What's next for SafeScan

Next, we want to improve QR analysis accuracy, expand support for more QR payload types, add stronger backend validation, improve referral tracking, and make the SQR reward system more automatic and reliable.

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