Beware Of Phishing Using QR Code, Here Are Safe Tips In The Style Of Microsoft

Illustration of the use of QR (Between) codes

JAKARTA - Phishing is one of the most common forms of cyberattacks and is easy to use by cybercriminals, aiming to steal sensitive data.

Trend Micro reports that overall phishing attacks have increased by 58 percent throughout 2023. The impact of this attack is estimated at 3.5 billion US dollars by 2024.

On the other hand, a report from Microsoft entitled 'Digital Defense Report 2024,' states that the phishing trend through QR codes is increasing.

With the technique the perpetrators will send a message containing a QR code that looks convincing to the victim. Then when the QR code is scanned, the victim will be directed to a fake website created to collect personal information, including login data or financial information.

With the rise of QR code-based phishing techniques, threat actors are increasingly easy to outwit their targets, as users are often suspicious of the QR code they scanned.

However, the good news is, Microsoft states that advanced image detection technologies integrated into Microsoft Defender for Office 365 have succeeded in preventing QR code-based phishing attacks.

Interestingly, from October 2023 to March 2024, this technology is said to be able to reduce the QR code phishing incident by up to 94 percent.

With the increasing sophistication of this attack, cybersecurity experts appealed to the public to be more careful when receiving messages asking them to scan the QR code.

Here are tips for avoiding phishing with Microsoft-style QR codes: