The Rise of Quishing: QR Codes as a Gateway to Phishing Attacks

Summary: A new wave of phishing attacks, termed “quishing,” uses QR codes to deceive victims into revealing their credentials. Researchers from Unit 42 have identified evolving strategies among attackers, employing QR codes to mask malicious URLs and making it difficult for traditional security measures to detect threats. This trend poses a significant risk, especially for users accessing phishing sites on personal devices with weaker security controls.

Affected: Various industries including medical, automotive, education, energy, and finance across the U.S. and Europe.

Keypoints :

• Attacks utilize embedded phishing URLs in QR codes, deceiving users into scanning them.
• Phishing documents instruct users to scan codes, increasing the likelihood of credential theft.
• Utilization of advanced techniques like URL redirection and human verification to evade security systems.
• Credential harvesting occurs on fake login pages that often pre-populate users’ information.
• The emergence of quishing highlights the adaptability of attackers and the evolving nature of phishing tactics.