How does Quishing work?

QR codes are convenient and found everywhere: in restaurants to view menus, in museums for extra information about paintings, in stores, on posters, and on websites. QR codes are also used on invoices to pay bills easily without manually entering payment details, on product packaging for manuals, extra product info or recipes, and on parking meters.

Quishing = phishing with QR codes

Be careful! Some QR codes hide malicious links that lead victims to harmful websites. These sites often look professional and are nearly indistinguishable from legitimate ones. Antivirus software and email scanners often don’t recognize these codes as dangerous, so the email with the QR code gets through unnoticed. This form of phishing is called quishing.

A key tip is to always check where a QR code leads before proceeding. Small differences in a web address can indicate fraud.

Tips to protect yourself and your employees from quishing:

• Be critical and only scan QR codes from trusted sources.
• Check the address the QR code points to and watch for small discrepancies.
• Ensure your antivirus and security software is up to date.
• Make your employees aware of quishing attacks and teach them how to recognize them.
• Regularly review lists of fake emails. For example, check sites like Fraude Helpdesk or Opgelicht!