In 2025, Kaspersky, a renowned cybersecurity firm, uncovered an alarming rise in QR code-based phishing attacks. These attacks have gained significant traction, particularly targeting mobile devices.
The report highlighted a dramatic spike in phishing emails involving QR codes, with a staggering five-fold increase in such incidents between August and November 2025. The primary factor behind this surge is the weaker security tools present on smartphones compared to those on more robust work PCs.
QR code phishing is a sophisticated cyber threat that remains largely undetected by many traditional security systems. The malicious actors behind these attacks embed harmful QR codes either within the body of phishing emails or as attachments in PDF files.
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