Understanding Quishing: The Dangers of QR Code Scams

QR codes are being weaponised by scammers — so maybe think twice before scanning that parking meter. And in a blunder so dumb it makes autocorrect look smart, the White House explains how it leaked war plans on Signal because an iPhone mistook a journalist for a government insider.

Plus! Don't miss our featured interview with Josh Donelson of Material and Tony Albano from Google, about detection and response in today's AI-driven world.

All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans - The Atlantic.
• Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal - The Atlantic.
• How the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg got added to the White House Signal group chat - The Guardian.
• From convenience to compromise: The rising threat of quishing scams - Fast Company.
• Microsoft Warns of Tax-Themed Email Attacks Using PDFs and QR Codes to Deliver Malware - Hacker News.
• QR Code Statistics 2024: Trends & Use Cases - QR Code.
• Honey Garlic Scallop Kabobs - Heinz.
• With QR Code Redemption Set to Surge to 5.3 Billion in 2025, Cybercriminals will Increase Their Quishing Attacks - Wealth & Finance International.
• Chess Masters: The End Game - BBC iPlayer.
• Cribbage Classic - iOS app store.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Material - Email security that covers the full threat landscape – stopping new flavors of phishing and pretexting attacks in their tracks, while also protecting accounts and data from exploit or exposure.
• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
• 1Password Extended Access Management – Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.

Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!

FOLLOW US:

Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.

THANKS:

Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.

Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.