Quishing on the Rise: QR Codes Emerge as a Major Mobile Phishing Vector

The report explains the growing threat of QR code–based phishing (quishing), citing telemetry and advisories (e.g., Unit 42 and FBI on Kimsuky), and details how attackers use shortened URLs, deep links, and redirect chains to evade traditional email/URL filters—leading to credential theft and potential malware delivery; it recommends mobility-aware web content inspection and on-device protections (e.g., real-time analysis of QR-scanned URLs) to close gaps left by conventional defenses.