Method of securing a two-dimensional barcode

1. A method comprising securing a redundant initial two-dimensional barcode, wherein securing a redundant initial two-dimensional barcode comprises providing an initial message, wherein said initial message comprises a unique identifier, encoding said initial message as a set of predefined symbols so as to generate a redundant initial two-dimensional barcode, wherein said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode comprises at least one redundant zone, generating a unique secret character string having a predefined fixed size, encoding said unique secret character string as a set of predefined symbols identical to said symbols used to generate said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode, and inserting said encoded unique secret character string into at least one redundant zone of said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode such that each predefined symbol of said unique secret character string replaces a corresponding existing predefined symbol that is in a secret zone of said initial two-dimensional bar code, each symbol of said encoded unique secret character string having a predefined position, so as to create a final two-dimensional barcode, wherein encoding said unique secret character string comprises encoding said unique secret character string in a redundant manner.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode comprises a unique redundant zone, and wherein inserting said unique secret character string comprises inserting said unique secret character string within said unique redundant zone.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode comprises several redundant zones, and wherein inserting said unique secret character string comprises inserting said unique secret character string within a predefined redundant zone.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode comprises several redundant zones, and wherein inserting said unique secret character string comprises inserting said unique secret character string within a plurality of said redundant zones.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein inserting said unique secret character string in at least one of said initial two-dimensional barcode comprises replacing, in said regions of said initial two-dimensional barcode, an existing predefined symbol coding said initial message with a predefined symbol of said unique secret character string, for each predefined symbol of said unique secret character string.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing a length of said unique secret character string as a function of at least a type of said initial two-dimensional barcode.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing a length of said unique secret character string as a function of a level of redundancy of said final two-dimensional barcode.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing said length of said unique secret character string as a function of a size of said initial two-dimensional barcode.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing said length of said unique secret character string as a function of a length of said initial message.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising printing said final two-dimensional barcode.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying said final two-dimensional barcode on a display screen.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising printing said final two-dimensional barcode, said printed final two-dimensional barcode having been provided with at least one optically-variable device.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a unique secret character string further comprises computing said unique secret character string independently from said initial message.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a unique secret character string further comprises computing said unique secret character string based at least in part on said initial message or of said unique identifier as a result of at least one of a one-way function and a cryptographic function being applied to one of said unique identifier and said initial message.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a Uniform Resource Identifier as at least part of said initial message.

16. A method comprising securing a redundant initial two-dimensional barcode, wherein securing a redundant initial two-dimensional barcode comprises providing an initial message, wherein said initial message comprises a unique identifier, encoding said initial message as a set of predefined symbols so as to generate a redundant initial two-dimensional barcode, wherein said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode comprises at least one redundant zone, generating a unique secret character string having a predefined fixed size, encoding said unique secret character string as a set of predefined symbols identical to said symbols used to generate said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode, and inserting said encoded unique secret character string into at least one redundant zone of said redundant initial two-dimensional barcode, each symbol of said encoded unique secret character string having a predefined position, so as to create a final two-dimensional barcode, said method further comprising authenticating said final two-dimensional barcode, wherein said authenticating step comprises scanning said final two-dimensional barcode with an optical sensor, thereby obtaining a digital image thereof, recording said digital image of said final two-dimensional barcode in a memory, decoding said digital image, extracting, from said decoded digital image, both said extracted message and said extracted unique identifier contained by said extracted message, generating a regenerated two-dimensional barcode from said extracted message, and comparing said regenerated two-dimensional barcode with said digital image of said final two-dimensional barcode as recorded in said memory.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising decoding a result of having compared said regenerated two-dimensional barcode with said digital image of said two-dimensional barcode as a regenerated secret character string, recording said regenerated secret character string, computing a result of having applied a one-way function applied to said extracted unique identifier, recording said result, and comparing said result with said regenerated secret character string, wherein said one-way function is the same as a one-way function used to generate said unique secret character string.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein generating a regenerated two-dimensional barcode from said extracted message comprises implementing a generator that was used to generate said initial two-dimensional barcode.

19. A manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having encoded therein program instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause execution of the method recited in claim 1 .

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein said optically variable device comprises a holographic marker.