Cybersecurity Today FBI Warns of QR Code Phishing & Europol's Major Cybercrime Crackdown CST Monday Jan 12 2026
Jan 12, 2026
The FBI has issued a warning about North Korean QR code phishing schemes targeting U.S. organizations, shedding light on how these malicious codes can bypass security measures. David Shipley discusses Europol's dramatic arrest of 34 individuals linked to the Black Axe crime syndicate, revealing their extensive global fraud operations. There’s also uncertainty surrounding the future of CISA's pre-ransomware alert initiative following a key developer's departure. Stay informed and learn vital defense strategies against these emerging threats!
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QR Codes As MFA‑Resilient Attack Vector
- North Korean state-backed actors use QR codes to bypass traditional email and endpoint defenses.
- QR-driven pages harvest credentials or session tokens that can defeat multi-factor authentication.
Fake Conference Invitation Used As Lure
- Attackers posed as conference organizers and sent fake invitations containing malicious QR codes.
- One June incident redirected a strategic advisory firm to a phishing site that harvested sensitive data.
Practical Defenses Against QR Phishing
- Train staff to avoid scanning unexpected QR codes and treat unsolicited QR links with suspicion.
- Implement mobile device management and continue enforcing multi-factor authentication to reduce exposure.