The basis of [Russ]’ hack is the ability to change the message contained in a QR code to be made of either ASCII/UTF-8 or decimal numbers coded as binary. By appending an anchor tag (i.e. http ...

Several of the clues have now been solved. The first was a binary code hidden in the end of the URL the QR code sends you to. When translated, that binary spells out the word “GACY.” ...