Quishing, the use of QR codes for phishing attacks, is here to stay.

30 years into existence, QR codes are ubiquitous. Everywhere you turn, whether online or offline, a quick-response code still pops up.

People around the world scan QR codes for everything from accessing restaurant menus and downloading apps to making payments and viewing product information. The widespread adoption and use of QR codes have made them an integral part of life, and we often use them without a second thought.

However, this familiarity and convenience are being exploited by cybercriminals. In an attempt to steal data from individuals and businesses, these attackers have developed a sophisticated and prevalent form of phishing known as ‘quishing.’

No, it’s not just a minor inconvenience. It’s a serious security threat, especially given that QR code scans are up 433% in the last four years.

Quishing leads to data breaches, identity theft, and financial loss — and it needs to be understood and addressed proactively through security awareness training.

What is Quishing? Here’s the Quishing Definition & Meaning

Quishing, short for “QR code phishing,” is a social engineering attack that uses malicious QR codes to trick individuals into performing actions that compromise their security.

QR codes used for quishing typically direct users to visit a fraudulent website or unknowingly download malware.

Imagine you’re working late and decide to order food for delivery. Through your work email address, you’ve received an email advertising a new local restaurant with a QR code offering an exclusive discount for first-time orders. You think you’re getting a good deal, so you scan the QR code.

Instead of being taken to the restaurant’s website, you’re redirected to a website that looks almost identical to your company’s internal login portal. It prompts you to enter your username and password, so you provide your credentials under the impression that it’s necessary to access the discount.

In reality, you’ve just handed over company login information to cybercriminals, who can now use it to access sensitive company data and cause a major data breach.

Other quishing scenarios in the workplace might involve:

• A QR code on a computer maintenance notice that downloads malware onto the connected device.
• A QR code in a seemingly legitimate email from human resources (HR) that leads to a fake benefits enrollment form, designed to steal personal information.
• A QR code in a common area, like a break room, advertising a fake employee survey that phishes for sensitive data.

Quishing might seem effective only on naive victims, but the truth is that QR code phishing — like all types of phishing — works on even those who think they’re too smart to fall for it.

How a QR Code Phishing Attack Works

Understanding the underlying mechanics of quishing helps in recognizing and preventing a QR code phishing attack.

While it appears simple on the surface, quishing is carefully orchestrated to exploit human trust and the inherent limitations of QR code technology.

Here’s a breakdown of how a QR code phishing attack works:

• Creation of the Malicious QR Code: The attacker begins by creating a QR code using readily available online tools. Attackers take advantage of these tools, which are designed for legitimate purposes, to generate QR codes linking to any URL they choose. URLs are at the heart of the attack, serving as the destination where the victim will be unknowingly sent. Often, the destination is designed to appear legitimate, often mimicking the look and feel of a trusted website or service.
• Strategic Placement: The attacker’s next step is to place the QR code in a location where it’s likely to be scanned by unsuspecting victims, and this is where social engineering comes into play. The attacker needs to choose a location and context that encourages scanning without raising suspicion.
  
  • Physical Placement: Attackers print stickers of malicious QR codes and place them in public spaces, sometimes over legitimate QR codes.
  • Digital Placement: Attackers embed QR codes in phishing emails, social media posts, and compromised websites to reach a wider audience.
• Victim Scans the QR Code: The unsuspecting victim, believing the QR code to be legitimate, uses their smartphone’s camera or a QR code reader app to scan.
• Redirection or Action: Once scanned, the QR code directs the victim’s device to the attacker’s predetermined destination, where the malicious action takes place.
  
  • Redirection to a Phishing Website: Quishing’s most common tactic is to redirect the victim to a fake website that closely resembles a legitimate one, such as a company login portal, a bank login page, or an online store. The goal is to steal login credentials, financial information, or other sensitive data.
  • Automatic Malware Download: In more sophisticated attacks, the QR code might trigger the automatic download of malware onto the victim’s device. This malware could be spyware, ransomware, keyloggers, or other software designed to steal data, disrupt operations, or extort money.
  • Initiation of Unauthorized Actions: The QR code could be programmed to initiate other actions, like making unauthorized transfers, subscribing to services, or sending spam messages from the victim’s device.

Knowing the logistics behind quishing helps you realize that it’s more than a quick, simple phishing attack that anyone can identify. Attackers put in considerable effort to mask their QR code attacks and steal information that leads to data breaches and financial loss.

The Illusion of Trust: Why a Quishing Scam is Effective

Quishing attacks are insidious, hiding in plain sight, because they exploit the trust we’ve built around QR codes. Society has been conditioned to scan them without a second thought, and this makes everyone vulnerable.

Let’s dig deeper into why quishing is effective — and challenging to detect.

Obscurity of QR codes

Unlike website URLs, which often provide clues about their destination (like a suspicious domain name), QR codes offer no visual indication of where they lead before they’re scanned.

Think of a QR code as a black box; you only find out what’s inside after you’ve opened it.

QR codes’ inherent lack of transparency is a fundamental security weakness that quishing attacks exploit. You can’t ‘hover’ over a QR code to preview its destination like you can with a link in an email.

Exploit familiarity and trust

From restaurants and retail stores to museums and public transportation, QR codes are a common part of our daily lives. But this familiarity breeds complacency, making us less likely to question the legitimacy of a QR code before scanning it.

Attackers capitalize on this trust, knowing that most people won’t think twice before scanning a code that appears to be associated with a trusted brand or service, such as their employer or a vendor they do business with.

Ease of creation

Creating a malicious QR code for quishing is incredibly easy and inexpensive. Numerous free QR code generators are available online, and attackers use these tools to create codes that link to any destination they desire.

Bypass traditional security measures

Email security filters often detect suspicious links and attachments; however, QR codes don’t have a similar type of protection. The malicious destination is embedded within the QR code itself, not in a visible URL that can be easily flagged.

As a result, quishing is an effective method to deliver phishing attacks, slipping past defenses that normally block a suspicious link.

Element of deception

The ability to physically place fake QR codes over real QR codes adds a layer of deception that’s unique to quishing. It’s a tactic difficult to detect without careful inspection.

For example, you walk up to a parking meter and see a QR code for payment. You assume it’s legitimate, but an attacker could have easily placed a sticker with a malicious QR code over the real one.

How to Protect Against a QR Code Phishing Attack

Protecting yourself from quishing requires an approach combining awareness, caution, and sound security practices.

Here are tips to minimize your risk of falling victim to quishing:

• Inspect Before You Scan: Particularly in a public setting, take a moment to visually inspect a QR code. Look for any signs of tampering or poor visual quality. If anything seems suspicious, don’t scan the QR code.
• Use a QR Code Reader with Security Features: Not all QR code reader apps offer this, but some have built-in features that allow you to preview the URL, detect a malicious website, and check the website’s reputation.
• Preview the URL (If Possible): Built-in camera apps and most QR code reader apps preview a QR code’s URL while hovering over it and before opening. When you see the preview, look for misspellings or unusual characters, unrelated domain names, and HTTP instead of HTTPS.
• Be Skeptical of Unsolicited QR Codes: Treat QR codes received in emails, text messages, or social media posts with the same level of caution you would with suspicious links. Don’t scan a QR code from an unknown or untrusted source, and always verify the legitimacy of the source before scanning.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA adds an extra layer of protection, even if your login credentials are compromised. It typically involves entering a code from your phone or another device in addition to your password. It makes things much harder for attackers to gain access to your accounts even if they manage to steal your password through a quishing attack.
• Keep Software Updated: Regularly update your devices’ software and all apps as security patches address known vulnerabilities.
• Don’t Enter Sensitive Information Unnecessarily: If a QR code redirects you to a website that asks for login credentials, financial information, or other personal data, be extremely cautious. If you have any doubts, navigate to the website directly through your browser by typing the address manually instead of using the QR code.
• Be Ware of Short URLs: Attackers often use short URLs (like bit.ly and tinyurl.com) to hide the destinations of their QR codes, which prevents victims from making an informed decision.

Individuals might not realize the importance of protecting themselves against quishing, which is why organizations typically cover QR code phishing attacks in security awareness training. Organizations equip their employees with guidance on how to identify a QR code used for quishing and how to respond.

Stay Ahead of Quishing Threats with Adaptive Security

Quishing represents a significant and evolving threat in the cybersecurity landscape. It leverages the widespread adoption and inherent trust placed in QR codes, making it an effective form of social engineering.

While the preventative measures outlined above help reduce risk, staying truly secure requires a proactive and continuous approach to security awareness in the workplace.

Trusted by leading global brands, Adaptive Security offers a next-generation platform for security awareness training and phishing simulations that address the rise of generative AI-powered social engineering. Unlike traditional, one-size-fits-all training, our platform is built to train against sophisticated multi-channel threat vectors — including QR code phishing attacks.

Adaptive offers a fully customizable content library, executive deepfake simulations, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) capabilities to create a personalized, measurable program.

‍Get a demo with Adaptive — we’ll take you inside our next-generation platform and dive into quishing and all the threat vectors that test your organization’s security posture.