What Is "Quishing"? How to Scan QR Codes Safely in 2026

What is "Quishing"? How to Scan QR Codes Safely in 2026

The Stealth Evolution of Phishing: Weaponizing the QR Code

The Ubiquity of the Quick Response (QR) Code

The Quick Response (QR) code has undergone a dramatic transformation since its inception in the 1990s as a tool for tracking manufacturing. Today, QR codes function as two-dimensional digital barcodes capable of carrying a wealth of information, from simple text to complex website addresses, establishing them as a universal tool for instant data retrieval and convenience.1 This utility was dramatically amplified by global events, resulting in a staggering growth rate. Between 2020 and 2023, QR code usage surged by 433%, primarily fueled by the need for contactless interaction in public spaces, such as restaurants adopting QR code menus over physical copies.3

As of 2023, 80% of smartphone users reported scanning at least one QR code in the preceding year.3 Projections indicate that over 2.9 billion people worldwide are expected to use these codes by 2025, with usage in the United States alone projected to exceed 100 million users.5 This mass adoption, while streamlining daily transactions from accessing public health information to ordering meals, has inadvertently created a massive and vulnerable attack surface for cybercriminals.3

Defining Quishing: QR Code Phishing

Quishing, a portmanteau of "QR" and "phishing," represents an evolved form of social engineering.7 It is a phishing attack that utilizes malicious QR codes instead of traditional text-based links embedded in emails or digital platforms.8 In a quishing attack, threat actors create a QR code linked to a malicious website or a file download.9 They deploy these codes across various vectors, including phishing emails, social media, printed flyers, or physical objects, employing social engineering techniques to entice victims into scanning them.9 Once scanned, the code leads to a spoofed site or initiates the download of malware onto the smart device.10 The overwhelming majority of these attacks, specifically 89.3%, aim at credential theft, with secondary goals including the injection of malware or facilitation of financial fraud.2

Why Quishing Matters in 2026The primary reason quishing presents a significant cybersecurity challenge is its ability to circumvent established network perimeter defenses.12 Since the malicious Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is encoded and hidden within an image format (the QR code), standard email security tools often lack the capability to detect and block the embedded link.8 This inherent technological limitation neutralizes one of the most reliable defense layers against traditional phishing.

Furthermore, quishing attacks deliberately shift the attack vector from managed corporate desktop environments to an individual’s personal, often less-secured mobile device.1 Many employees use personal devices (Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD) to scan these codes, especially when the lure mimics an internal corporate request, such as a payroll update or file share notification.8 Because these personal devices operate outside the organization’s cybersecurity controls and monitoring environments, it becomes exponentially more difficult for IT teams to prevent, detect, and track potential compromises.8

The widespread and rapid normalization of QR code scanning for convenient, everyday tasks—a behavior known as habituation—has established a fundamental vulnerability. The attacker is not primarily relying on technological trickery, but rather on exploiting the user's learned expectation of safety and convenience.3 This behavioral exploitation means that if perimeter security controls fail to intercept the threat, the entire burden of detection and prevention falls upon the end-user and the security posture of their mobile device. This is a critical concern, given that data shows 68% of quishing attacks specifically target mobile users.15

The Escalating Threat Landscape: Quishing Statistics and Forecasts

Quantifying the Explosive Growth

Quishing is not merely an emerging threat; it represents a major, successful shift in cybercriminal tactics. Data demonstrates an explosive surge in these incidents, which increased by over 500% to 587% in 2023 alone.11 This rapid acceleration confirms quishing as one of the fastest-growing variants of phishing. The reliance of threat actors on this method is quantifiable: QR codes were utilized in 22% of all phishing attacks in 2023, solidifying their status as a core component of the contemporary threat landscape.11 A startling surge was observed between June and August 2023, with systems detecting 8,878 quishing incidents, peaking at 5,063 cases in June.11

The Risk of Exposure

The sheer volume of legitimate QR code usage amplifies the risk. As consumer adoption continues its upward trajectory—with over 80% of smartphone users scanning a QR code in a given year 3—the probability of encountering a malicious code increases proportionally. Analysts estimate that nearly 2% of all scanned QR codes are malicious.11 This statistic provides a tangible measure of exposure risk, confirming that the average mobile user is highly likely to encounter a quishing attempt in their daily activities. With mobile usage set to exceed 100 million users in the US by 2025, the attack surface continues to expand globally.5

High-Value Targets and Sector Impact

Quishing campaigns are not restricted to indiscriminate attacks; they are highly targeted, particularly within the corporate sector. Executive targeting is a pronounced feature of this threat: C-level executives are exposed to 42 times more QR code attacks than the average employee.11 This focus highlights the strategic utility of quishing as a spear-phishing vector designed to gain access to high-value credentials and privileged corporate resources.

The impact is felt unevenly across industries. The sectors most heavily affected by quishing attacks include energy (which receives 29% of malware-infested quishing emails), finance, healthcare, and education.11

Table: Quishing Threat Statistics and Adoption Forecast (2023-2025)

The high targeting of executives, coupled with the reliance on mobile interaction, strongly suggests that a primary tactical application of quishing in corporate environments is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) token harvesting.16 Attackers often deploy these codes under the guise of fake security updates or internal document shares, aiming to trick the user into scanning the code. This scan then completes an attacker-initiated login request on the user's personal mobile device, effectively bypassing corporate MFA controls designed to protect the network perimeter.10

Deep Dive: Mechanics of the Attack and Technological Bypass

The Quishing Attack Flow

Quishing attacks follow a methodical, multi-phase process designed to exploit both technological blind spots and human trust.

1. Phase 1: Lure Deployment: The attack begins with the placement of a malicious QR code, often disguised with high-fidelity corporate branding. This deployment can be digital (e.g., embedded in an email spoofing Human Resources or IT) or physical (e.g., placing stickers on public payment infrastructure).9 The lure invariably utilizes social engineering techniques, such as creating a false sense of urgency, threatening dire financial or legal consequences, or offering something too good to be true.1
2. Phase 2: Mobile Engagement and Scanning: The victim, pressured by the urgency or accustomed to the convenience of QR codes, scans the image using their mobile device.8
3. Phase 3: Redirection and Cloaking: The encoded data often links to a deceptive initial address. Attackers frequently use URL shorteners or multiple redirects to obscure the malicious final destination. Some sophisticated operations incorporate techniques like Cloudflare Turnstile verification during these redirects. This verification step is a tactic designed to mislead automated scanning tools and provide a false sense of legitimacy to the user, making the phishing attempt appear more professional and robust.14
4. Phase 4: Spoofed Landing Page: The victim is redirected to a high-fidelity spoofed website, meticulously crafted to resemble a legitimate corporate service, banking portal, or software login page (e.g., fake SharePoint, Microsoft 365, or DocuSign).13 This final page's sole purpose is credential harvesting, often presenting a prompt for the user to enter their login details.

The Technological Edge: Evading Traditional Email Gateways

The success of quishing stems directly from the digital cloaking provided by the QR code image. Conventional email filters rely heavily on scanning the plain text of a message body to extract and analyze embedded URLs. Because the link in a quishing attack is visually encoded within a graphic, it becomes effectively invisible to these scanners.8

While some advanced security systems attempt to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and image recognition technology to decode the URL within the QR code image, this process is resource-intensive and notoriously difficult to scale across a large volume of daily email traffic.13 This high barrier to detection makes quishing an attractive, low-cost attack for cybercriminals, providing them with a clear path past the initial layer of corporate defense.

Advanced Corporate Vectors: QRLJacking and Credential Harvesting

In corporate settings, quishing attacks frequently impersonate high-trust, internal services such as HR/Payroll systems, e-signature requests (like those from Adobe or DocuSign), or generic "security updates".10 By targeting these key platforms, which are often tied to Single Sign-On (SSO) systems, attackers aim not just for one account, but for an entry point into the entire enterprise network. The sophistication of these attacks involves perfectly mimicking corporate login portals, sometimes leveraging fake Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) pages, to minimize user suspicion.19

A particularly dangerous variant enabled by QR codes is QRLJacking (Quick Response Login Jacking).17 This attack is used to hijack authenticated user sessions. The attacker initiates a legitimate QR code login session on a service (e.g., a corporate web portal that uses QR authentication), captures that unique QR code, and embeds it into a phishing page. The victim is then tricked into scanning the code. By scanning the code with their mobile device, the victim unwittingly authorizes the attacker’s pre-initiated session, granting the attacker instant and persistent access to the account without needing to steal the underlying password or MFA token.17 The primary objective in these campaigns is the theft of credentials and multi-factor authentication tokens.16

Real-World Quishing Campaigns: Digital and Physical Lures

Quishing manifests in two distinct environments: the controlled, digital world of email and the chaotic, physical domain of public space. Both exploit the same core vulnerability—human trust in the convenience of the QR code.

Digital Quishing Campaigns

Digital quishing overwhelmingly targets employees and executives through highly refined, personalized emails—a technique known as spear-phishing. The lures typically impersonate trusted internal departments or common third-party business services. Examples include phony invoice notices demanding immediate payment, notifications claiming that "HR/Payroll shared a file with you," or "security update" alerts that require users to quickly re-validate their credentials.10

The increasing sophistication of these lures is partly attributed to the proliferation of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI, which can be used to mass-produce highly believable, grammatically flawless emails devoid of the traditional red flags (like poor spelling or grammar).16 Since these emails are nearly indistinguishable from legitimate corporate communications, both users and AI detection systems are forced to rely on context and behavioral analysis rather than simple linguistic flaws. This forces security systems to focus on analyzing the

intent of the message, not just its form. Given that executives are targeted 42 times more frequently, dedicated training against these AI-enhanced, high-fidelity lures is imperative.16

Physical Quishing: The Public Infrastructure Threat (IRL Quishing)

The physical, or "In Real Life" (IRL), variant of quishing involves attackers physically placing malicious QR code stickers or overlays in public areas, relying on ambient trust and urgency to lure victims.9

Case Study Focus: The Global Parking Meter Scam

The most prevalent and alarming physical quishing campaign involves fake QR codes affixed to public parking meters. This phenomenon has been reported across major international jurisdictions, including California (Redondo Beach), Canada (Ottawa), and various UK councils.20

1. The Lure: Motorists, accustomed to using contactless mobile payment options via QR codes for parking, scan the code believing they are initiating a legitimate transaction with the city or the contracted payment provider (e.g., ParkMobile or PayByPhone).20
2. The Consequence: The malicious code redirects the user to a fraudulent website, often designed to perfectly mimic the official payment gateway (e.g., the site poybyphone.online was used in a major scam).20 Victims are then prompted to enter sensitive details, including their location code, vehicle license plate, parking duration, and full payment card details.22
3. The Outcome: The fraudulent site displays a fake "Processing" or "Payment accepted!" page, stealing the user's financial data.22 Critically, because the legitimate parking fee was never paid, victims face a double punishment: they lose their money and data to the scammers, and subsequently receive a genuine parking fine from the municipality.21

This type of physical fraud demonstrates that attackers use the simplest of methods—a printed sticker—to facilitate highly sophisticated digital credential theft. By successfully compromising public infrastructure and eroding citizen trust in digital government services, these attacks mandate that governments and municipalities must issue clear guidance advising citizens to use only official mobile applications or physical payment machines, essentially deeming unverified physical QR codes unsafe for financial transactions.21

Comprehensive Defense Strategy for Individuals

Because the quishing attack successfully bypasses traditional email filters and places the burden of security on the individual mobile user, effective defense relies heavily on adopting a "pause-and-verify" mindset and implementing robust mobile device hygiene.

The Critical Pause: Inspection and Verification Protocols

The most effective defenses against quishing are vigilance and verification, often requiring a simple moment of conscious assessment before acting.

• Physical Inspection: When encountering QR codes in public areas (e.g., parking meters, event signage), always check for evidence of tampering. Look for overlays, stickers placed haphazardly over official signs, or signs of physical damage.18 If the code looks suspicious, or if the option exists, pay using the official, dedicated mobile application or a traditional card/cash machine instead. Most councils, recognizing this risk, advise against using QR codes on parking signs entirely.21
• Digital Preview (The Single Most Important Step): Never immediately click 'Open' after your mobile device scans a QR code. Modern smartphone cameras and dedicated scanner apps automatically detect and preview the destination URL before the browser is launched.23
  Scrutinize this preview. Look for common red flags like misspellings (typosquatting, e.g., micros0ft.com), non-standard domain extensions, or highly suspicious, non-descriptive URL shorteners.23
• Source Verification: If a QR code is received via an unexpected email, especially one purporting to come from a trusted source (such as your bank, employer’s HR, or a financial service), independently verify the request.12 This must be done via a known, official communication channel—such as calling the organization’s publicly listed phone number or logging into the official website by typing the address directly—rather than using any contact information or link provided in the suspicious email itself.27

Mobile Device Security Hardening

The mobile device is the critical point of attack; therefore, securing the mobile endpoint is paramount.

• Native Scanner Preference: Security experts recommend using the native camera application provided by the smartphone operating system (iOS or Android) for scanning, rather than downloading third-party QR code scanner apps.23 Native apps are typically integrated with built-in security features and URL safety checks that are often missing in less secure, third-party applications.28
• Software Updates and Security: It is essential to keep both the mobile operating system and any installed security software (antivirus, firewall, anti-spyware) updated automatically.25 These updates routinely include critical security patches designed to mitigate newly discovered exploits that malicious QR code links might attempt to leverage.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enable MFA on all critical online accounts, including email, social media, and financial services.29 Although quishing is often deployed specifically to bypass MFA, its implementation remains a vital defense, forcing attackers to employ more complex, detectable social engineering tactics instead of simple credential theft.25

Identity Protection and Minimizing Footprints

Effective defense against quishing also involves compartmentalizing the user’s digital identity to minimize the impact of a breach or exposure.

• Using Disposable Email for Risky Interactions: When an untrusted site, accessed via a QR code or otherwise, demands an email address for sign-up, a one-time download, or a contest entry, the use of a disposable temporary email address is strongly recommended.30 This strategy ensures the user's main inbox remains safe and clear from the accumulated spam and targeted secondary phishing attempts that often follow a data exposure.31 By isolating non-critical interactions, users can effectively limit the data available to scammers for future, more sophisticated attacks. Readers can learn more about this technique by visiting:(
  https://temp-mail.io/help/emails/what-is-temp-mail).
• Fighting Secondary Spam and Phishing: If a user suspects their primary email address has been compromised due to a scan, implementing robust mail server-level filtering and using email aliases can isolate future attack vectors.32 Utilizing a comprehensive spam blocker ensures that junk mail is prevented from accumulating in the main inbox.33 Detailed strategies on how to secure an inbox against high volumes of unwanted mail are available:
  block junk emails effectively.
• Browser Extensions for Quick Security: For users who frequently need access to temporary or disposable email services to protect their privacy on the fly, browser extensions provide quick, seamless access.34 These tools enable users to instantly generate secure emails whenever they encounter a site requiring registration, maintaining anonymity and privacy.31 The use of such tools helps maintain control over online privacy by keeping the real email address secret:(
  https://temp-mail.io/en/extensions).

Table: Individual Anti-Quishing Verification Checklist

Organizational Resilience: Corporate Defense and Training

The fight against corporate quishing demands a strategy focused on mitigating the vulnerability introduced by personal mobile devices and strengthening detection capabilities against image-based threats.

Mitigating the BYOD Risk

The greatest challenge quishing poses to the enterprise is the circumvention of corporate cybersecurity controls through Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) usage.1 To counter this:

• Policy Enforcement: Organizations must implement clear and strict BYOD policies. These policies should either mandate robust security controls on personal devices used for work (such as Mobile Device Management or VPN usage) or, in high-security environments, explicitly prohibit employees from scanning work-related QR codes on personal devices.1
• Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): While email gateways may fail, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions deployed on corporate assets remain crucial. These systems are capable of recognizing and blocking known malicious Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and command-and-control communication, even if the user arrived at the malicious site via a complex QR code scan.

Advanced Email Gateway Protection

Traditional security infrastructures must be modernized to address image-based threats.

• OCR and Image Recognition: Investment in next-generation security tools capable of utilizing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and advanced image recognition is necessary. These technologies decode and analyze URLs hidden within QR code images in real-time, allowing security analysts to distinguish benign codes (e.g., logos in email signatures) from weaponized payloads (e.g., an unexpected payroll notification).13
• Behavioral AI: Utilizing AI-driven machine learning plays a pivotal role in threat detection.13 These systems can analyze and profile the relationship between the sender and recipient, recognizing message-level indicators that are anomalous for that specific communication pattern. This behavioral analysis is essential for identifying highly polished, AI-generated phishing attempts that lack the traditional linguistic red flags, forcing reliance on contextual and behavioral indicators.16

Security Awareness Training: Simulating Quishing Attacks

Since quishing relies on social engineering to succeed, the human element becomes the ultimate firewall. Corporate training must adapt to this reality.

• Targeted Education: Training programs must educate employees on the technical differences between quishing, smishing (SMS phishing), and vishing (voice phishing), underscoring the critical shift of the threat surface to the mobile device.1
• Simulation Exercises: To effectively test real-world behavior, organizations should run targeted, realistic QR code phishing simulations.10 This includes both email-based quishing and, where feasible, physical "QR sticker" simulations to gauge employee response to public-space threats. The objective of this training is to instill a consistent behavior: "pause, verify, and report".10
• Executive Focus: Given that C-suite personnel face a 42x higher targeting rate, they require specialized training focused on highly sophisticated QRLJacking and MFA bypass techniques.16 The MFA bypass strategy, whether through Quishing or MFA fatigue attacks, relies entirely on manipulating the human user to approve an attacker-initiated action.36 The organizational defense must acknowledge that technological controls are often defeated by psychological manipulation, requiring a corresponding investment in robust employee security culture and reporting mechanisms.

What To Do Immediately After Scanning a Malicious QR Code

If an individual suspects they have scanned a malicious QR code, immediate and decisive action is required to minimize potential damage and mitigate identity exposure.

The Five-Step Incident Response Plan (Individual)

1. Disconnect: Immediately sever network connectivity by turning off both Wi-Fi and mobile data. This prevents active malware from communicating with its command-and-control server or initiating further remote access to the device.37
2. Assess Interaction: Determine the extent of the interaction. If the page failed to fully load and no information was entered, the risk is lower.37 However, if credentials, payment details, or personal data were entered, or if a download was automatically initiated, proceed urgently to the next steps.38
3. Change Credentials: If any login credentials were entered, immediately change the password for the compromised service (e.g., work email, bank account, social media) from a separate, secure device. Crucially, the compromised password must not be reused for any other service.25
4. Run Security Scan: Use trusted, regularly updated antivirus or security software (such as a reputable QR scanner that includes URL safety checks or built-in OS tools) to thoroughly scan the mobile device for any newly installed suspicious files or malware.28 Check the device’s downloads folder for any unexpected files.37
5. Report and Monitor: If the device is a corporate asset, notify the IT department immediately for incident assessment and remediation. If financial data was compromised, contact the financial institution and report the incident.25 Be vigilant for signs of secondary phishing attempts, which frequently follow successful data harvests.37

Monitoring for Financial Fraud and Identity Theft

Following exposure, preventative measures must be taken to mitigate long-term identity risks:

• Fraud Alerts: Place fraud alerts on credit files with the major credit bureaus immediately.27
• Account Review: Review bank and credit card account statements regularly and closely. Contact the financial institution immediately if any unusual charges or unexplained transactions appear.27
• Monitor for Identity Theft: Watch for subsequent signs of identity theft, such as unexpected credit card denials or the appearance of strange, unauthorized accounts on credit reports.25 Report suspicious activity to national consumer protection agencies promptly.27

Valuable Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What exactly is the difference between Quishing and regular Phishing?

Traditional phishing typically employs text-based links within an email or message. These links are easily extracted and analyzed by security software. Quishing, conversely, utilizes a QR code image to visually conceal the malicious URL. This methodology shifts the detection responsibility to the mobile device and bypasses the text-scanning capabilities of many conventional email security tools, making the malicious link harder to detect before the user clicks it.8

Q2: Are QR codes on restaurant menus or public health posters safe to scan?

QR codes in contained, professionally managed environments, such as official restaurant menus, are generally safer because the environment is somewhat controlled.39 However, codes placed in open, public spaces—like car parks, electric vehicle charging stations, or unsolicited emails—carry a significantly higher risk of being tampered with or replaced by malicious actors.6 Safety hinges on vigilant inspection for overlays or damage and verifying the URL preview before proceeding.23

Q3: Can malware be downloaded to my phone just by scanning a QR code?

Yes, this is possible. While scanning a QR code primarily directs the user to a website, that malicious destination site can be engineered to automatically initiate a malware download or exploit known browser vulnerabilities without further interaction.2 The site may also trick the user into downloading a seemingly legitimate app that is, in fact, malware designed to steal data or monitor activity.38

Q4: Should I disable QR code scanning on my phone entirely?

While disabling the feature offers maximum protection, it is often impractical due to the modern reliance on QR codes for legitimate services.24 The recommended approach is to adopt rigorous security practices instead of outright disabling the function. Users should prioritize using the native camera app for scanning, consistently preview the destination URL, and avoid scanning any codes received unsolicited via email or text message.18

Q5: How can a tool like Temp Mail help defend against Quishing?

A disposable temporary email service provides a crucial layer of defense against the consequences of a data exposure.31 If a user scans a suspicious QR code that leads to a site demanding email registration, using a temporary address prevents their primary, sensitive inbox from being flooded with spam or being used in subsequent, more targeted phishing attempts.31 This compartmentalization isolates the risk and limits the data available to threat actors, enhancing overall privacy and making large-scale phishing campaigns less effective against the user.30

Conclusion: Scanning Smartly in a Connected World

The rise of quishing underscores a fundamental truth in modern cybersecurity: as technical defenses improve, threat actors will consistently pivot toward vectors that exploit human behavior and trust. The QR code is a perfect tool for this purpose, moving the battleground from the managed perimeter to the user’s personal mobile device.8

The analysis confirms that the explosive growth of quishing—surging over 500% in recent years—is rooted in the technological blind spot it creates for traditional email filters, coupled with the user's habituation to rapid, convenience-driven scanning.8 Attackers are capitalizing on this confluence, deploying sophisticated lures, often aided by Generative AI, that target high-value corporate executives and public payment systems alike.16

Effective defense against this threat is inherently multi-layered. It requires organizations to invest in advanced, AI-driven security tools capable of image decoding and behavioral analysis, while simultaneously shifting training to focus heavily on the high-risk mobile environment.13 For the individual, security is contingent upon the ability to

pause and scrutinize every QR code interaction, making the "scan-and-verify" mindset a non-negotiable requirement for digital safety.

Furthermore, building a robust digital identity requires strategic compartmentalization. By adopting proactive privacy tools, such as using disposable email services for non-critical or untrusted interactions, individuals can drastically limit their exposure to data breaches and minimize the inventory of personal information available for threat actors to weaponize.31 This comprehensive approach, blending technological vigilance with strategic privacy management, is the only sustainable strategy against the persistent evolution of social engineering threats like quishing.

Written by Arslan – a digital privacy advocate and tech writer/Author focused on helping users take control of their inbox and online security with simple, effective strategies.