Cool and Fancy QR Codes Encouraging Quishing to a Dangerous Extent
Scammers are increasingly sending phishing URLs via highly themed QR codes. Since QR codes provide links without a visible URL, phishing (quishing) via QR codes is already more challenging to identify. These days, attackers use QR codes that incorporate brands, colors, and shapes into their design.
Report
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“Complex QR codes make detection much more difficult.” “The recognizable black and white grid is no longer present in their layouts. In the center, there are logos. Modules undergo recoloring, stretching, or rounding. Images in the background merge with the code. While upending the structural and visual presumptions made by the detection technologies that are currently in use, these design modifications maintain scan success.” |
These "fancy" QR codes were displayed in a Deakin University report, where the researchers observed that the "artistic and aesthetic QR codes are created by blending an image with black-white QR code where their modules are almost unidentifiable to [the] human eye.”
The fact that most people scan them with their phones, evading whatever security measures their company may have on their work PCs, makes quishing a threat as well. Additionally, these codes can be applied to physical spaces like stickers.
NordVPN, Reporting
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Over 26 million users have been routed to dangerous websites, and 73% of Americans scan QR codes without checking the destination.
“The U.S. Federal Trade Commission cautioned consumers in 2025 to be wary of QR codes on unexpected goods. After identifying phony QR codes on parking meters, the Department of Transportation in New York City issued a similar warning.” |
Security awareness training driven by AI can provide your company with a crucial line of protection against phishing scams.
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