Quishing for trouble. [Research Saturday]

Adam Khan, VP of Security Operations at Barracuda, joins to discuss his team's work on "The evolving use of QR codes in phishing attacks." Cybercriminals are evolving phishing tactics by embedding QR codes, or “quishing,” into PDF documents attached to emails, tricking recipients into scanning them to access malicious websites that steal credentials. Barracuda researchers found over half a million such emails from June to September 2024, with most impersonating brands like Microsoft, DocuSign, and Adobe to exploit urgency and trust. To counter these attacks, businesses should deploy multilayered email security, use AI-powered detection tools, educate employees on QR code risks, and enable multifactor authentication to safeguard accounts. The research can be found here: Threat Spotlight: The evolving use of QR codes in phishing attacks