Quishing, or QR code phishing, is the latest in the long line of cybersecurity threats. As ridiculous as it sounds, it is helpful to be aware of it because it can prevent the loss of money, time, and your company’s reputation.

QR codes are everywhere: on menus, street posters, apps, and business websites. They are popular because users can use their camera to scan the QR code like a web link to get to a website.

If something is easy for users, it’s also easy for cybercriminals to exploit. These malicious parties use QR codes to forward users to a different website than the one they think they are going to, opening their personal details up to hackers.

This article will explain how cybercriminals exploit QR codes to execute phishing attacks. It will cover common tactics, real-world examples, prevention strategies, and cybersecurity best practices.

Key Takeaways

QR phishing (Quishing) exploits QR codes to redirect users to malicious sites that steal credentials or install malware.
Attackers disguise malicious QR codes on emails, posters, websites, and invoices to trick victims into scanning them.
Common Quishing scams include fake login pages, surveys, and fraudulent parking or payment QR codes.
QR phishing is hard to detect because QR codes lack visual identifiers, and mobile security is often weaker.
To prevent attacks, it’s important to spread user awareness, use QR code scanning apps, and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Organizations should implement cybersecurity solutions and employee training to recognize and mitigate QR phishing threats.

What is QR Phishing (Quishing)?

QR phishing (Quishing) is when hackers use QR codes to redirect users to malicious or fraudulent sites instead of the site the user thinks they are going to when they scan the code. The sites the user gets redirected to are sites that malicious parties use to steal information from users, like credentials and banking details, or to install malicious software to steal other information.

Quishing attacks are harder to detect than traditional phishing attacks because copying QR codes for malicious content is more complex than scanning traditional URLs. So it’s harder to catch quishers than phishers.

How QR Phishing Attacks Work

Knowing exactly how QR phishing works helps you to understand how to combat it and keep your customers safe. First, let’s take a look at a step-by-step breakdown of Quishing and then common attack scenarios so you know what to look out for.

Step-by-Step breakdown of QR Phishing Attacks

Let’s examine exactly how Quishing works.

The steps of Quishing include:

Creation of malicious QR codes: Hackers build malicious QR codes that contain links to fraudulent websites that will give advantages to the hackers instead of the original QR makers.
Placement in emails, posters, websites, and messages: QR scammers then distribute their QR codes and lay them over original ones, so victims have no idea that they are scanning a fraudulent code.
The victim scans and is redirected to a phishing site or malware download: When victims do this, it is impossible for them to tell that a QR code is fake because there are no identifying features to set them apart from the originals.

Common Quishing Attack Scenarios

Many attack scenarios occur when QR scammers set virtual traps for victims using QR codes.

Some of the most common Quishing attack scenarios include:

Fake login pages (e.g., banking, email, or company portals): Scammers often make login pages that look almost identical to the originals of websites that contain customers with sensitive information hackers want, like banks or company portals.
Fake customer surveys with incentives: Everyone wants to make an easy buck by filling out a quick survey, and scammers exploit this desire to steal information. Victims give in to their need to make money as they fill in their details, which hackers receive instead of legitimate companies.
QR codes in fake parking or payment invoices: Ever had a parking or bill notice? Many people have, and these fake QR codes take advantage of the urgency people feel to pay bills or parking fines to avoid penalties or even prison time. The urgency leads to exploitation by the quishers, who receive banking details they use to steal money.
Fake QR codes in business apps: Businesses are not immune to QR scams. Malicious parties can lay their own fake QR code over a legitimate one, for example, a CRM or an employee time clock app for a mobile device. The scammers have the employees’ details and possibly access to company data.

Why QR Phishing Is Dangerous

QR phishing seems to catch a few people out, but is it really that dangerous? The short answer is yes.

Quishing can cost victims millions of dollars yearly because they are hard to spot. People trust QR codes, mobile devices have weaker security, and hackers find it easy to get past traditional email security filters that don’t have the design profile to protect against this generation of hackers.

The cost of global cybercrime has hit USD 9.22 trillion and is likely to rise due to the introduction of new cybercrimes like sQuishing. It is currently costing businesses and customers huge amounts of money, making it worthwhile to take steps to prevent it from happening.

A Real-World Example of a QR Phishing Attack

It’s one thing to learn about Quishing attacks but it only really hits home when you hear about the way it has impacted businesses and communities with real-world examples. The first of these examples is one unfortunate individual losing $17,000.

Victim Loses £13k to QR Scammers

In November 2023, a very unfortunate 71-year-old lady in Newcastle, England, became a victim of a QR code scam, which led to a huge loss of $17,000. The malicious party achieves their scam by laying the fake QR code over the official one on a car parking sign.

At first, it seemed that the lady’s money was safe because when she entered her bank details into the fraudulent website, her bank stopped the transaction. Unfortunately, the scammers used another technique: they pretended to be banking staff and successfully encouraged her to take out a $9,500 loan. The malicious party then acted fast, changing her bank details, getting new cards, and setting up an online account.

The outcome from the local government was to remove all QR codes from every single TransPennine Express car park.

These incidents can impact individuals for many years after they occur, as it’s a huge challenge to recoup savings in the thousands, as we see in the above example.

How to Protect Against QR Phishing

QR phishing scams are sneaky and hard to detect. The good news? It’s still possible to prevent them.

Follow these best practices and technical security measures to protect you and your organization against QR phishing attacks:

User Awareness & Best Practices

Firstly, you should always verify the sources of QR codes. You can use a special app to do this, but QR scammers are sneaky, so ensure that the QR verification app is real before installing and using it, because scammers can make fake apps to gain access to your data too.

Next, use apps that scan QR codes before opening links. This best practice stops you from opening links when you are unsure about where you’re heading.

And finally, if you are ever in any doubt about a source, don’t scan a QR code and verify it before you scan.

Technical Security Measures

If you’re an organization, and especially an enterprise, you have a lot more to lose than most individuals, such as employee data, millions of dollars, and irreparable damage to your company’s reputation.

Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for logins to avoid QR phishing attacks. This method involves sending a code to the user’s phone every time they want to log in, preventing QR code scammers with another layer of security.

Your second approach should be using cybersecurity solutions with features to detect QR phishing scams. This feature will keep you safe from this threat.

Finally, offer training that helps employees learn about social engineering threats like QR phishing scams so they can detect and avoid them efficiently.

Endnote

QR phishing is dangerous because it can cost individuals money, cause damage to data, and result in damage to organizational reputation.

It’s difficult to discover QR phishing scams compared to traditional phishing scams because QR codes are more complex and harder to scan for legitimacy. Fortunately, certain measures can keep you safe, like QR pre-scanning apps, multi-factor authentication, and employee training around social engineering threats to reduce these attacks.

If you follow these measures and practices, you can avoid most QR phishing threats and protect your employees and yourselves from losing money.

About
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Ahona Rudra

Domain & Email Security Expert at PowerDMARC

Ahona is the Marketing Manager at PowerDMARC, with 5+ years of experience in writing about cybersecurity topics, specializing in domain and email security. Ahona holds a post-graduation degree in Journalism and Communications, solidifying her career in the security sector since 2019.

What is QR Phishing? How to Detect and Prevent QR Code Scams