Phishing emails with text-based QR codes

A study has identified the emergence of a new phishing technique: attackers generate QR codes not as images, but using Unicode text characters. This approach allows them to bypass email gateway filters that analyze or recognize only image-based QR codes.

This method is used to deliver malicious URLs within the email body: the scanner sees only a set of characters, while the user sees what appears to be a valid QR code. As a result, the phishing link passes inspection and leads to fake login pages where the attacker can capture credentials.

📎 Article: https://www.kaspersky.ru/about/press-releases/fishery-nachali-sozdavat-vredonosnye-qr-kody-iz-bukv-i-simволов

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