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detecting-qr-code-phishing-with-email-security

Detect and prevent QR code phishing (quishing) attacks that embed malicious URLs inside QR code images to bypass link-based email security, using image-based threat detection, OCR/QR decoding, and mobile-side scanning (Microsoft Defender for O365, Proofpoint TAP, Barracuda Multimodal AI). Use when configuring gateway rules against QR phishing or investigating suspicious emails containing QR codes.

skills/detecting-qr-code-phishing-with-email-security/SKILL.md

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Last checked
Nov 2, 2026

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Aug 31, 2026
License
Apache-2.0

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# Detecting QR Code Phishing with Email Security

## Overview
QR code phishing (quishing) is a rapidly growing attack vector where malicious URLs are embedded in QR code images within phishing emails. Quishing incidents grew fivefold from 46,000 to 250,000 between August and November 2025, with credential phishing comprising 89.3% of detected incidents. Traditional email security filters struggle because QR codes cannot be read by humans or standard URL scanners, and when scanned, users typically use personal mobile devices that lack corporate security controls. Attackers have evolved to use split QR codes (two separate images), nested QR codes, and ASCII text-based QR codes to evade detection.


## When to Use

- When investigating security incidents that require detecting qr code phishing with email security
- When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
- When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
- When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques

## Prerequisites
- Email security gateway with image analysis capabilities