QR codes used to be harmless, now they’re one of the sneakiest ways attackers slip past defenses. Quishing, or QR code phishing, hides malicious links inside innocent-looking images that filters can’t read.
One scan, and the victim lands on a fake login page designed to steal credentials or trigger a download; often from a mobile device completely outside your SOC’s visibility.
Why Quishing Is Hard to Catch
From a detection standpoint, Quishing breaks the usual rules. The phishing payload isn’t in the email body or attachment, it’s embedded inside an image as a QR code. That means:
- No clickable links for secure email gateways or URL filters to analyze.
- No obvious indicators for content inspection or heuristic engines.
- No telemetry once the user scans the code on a mobile device outside the corporate network.
Analyst’s New Weapon: Expose QR Phishing in Seconds
For SOC analysts, Quishing is a time sink and a blind spot. Traditional tools can’t scan QR codes and decoding them manually is slow and risky.
That’s why many teams now rely on interactive sandboxes like ANY.RUN to safely expose what’s hidden behind those codes without leaving the protected environment.
Instead of extracting images or using external decoders, the sandbox automatically detects and decodes QR codes from emails, PDFs, and screenshots.
It follows the resulting link in an isolated VM, giving analysts the full attack context, from payload delivery to network activity, in just seconds.
Real-World Example: Voicemail Scam Exposed in Under 60 Seconds
An email arrives claiming you’ve missed a voicemail. Instead of a link, it contains a QR code urging the user to “listen to the message.”
Check how sandbox exposes the hidden QR code
Once uploaded to ANY.RUN, the sandbox automatically detects and decodes the QR without manual extraction or third-party tools.
Reveal complex threats in seconds inside ANY.RUN’s interactive sandbox, cutting investigation time and turning hidden attacks into clear evidence -> Join ANY.RUN now
The decoded URL is displayed immediately in the Static Discovering section, and automated interactivity triggers a controlled browser session.
In 60 seconds, the sandbox discovered the full attack chain, surfacing relevant TTPs, exportable IOCs, network connections, and a shareable analysis report analysts can use to block, hunt, and write detections.
Well-structured report generated by ANY.RUN for easy sharing
Why SOC Analysts Choose ANY.RUN for Quishing Analysis
Quishing attacks are built to waste analyst time; ANY.RUN gives that time back. With automated QR detection, real-time interaction, and deep visibility, analysts can shift from manual decoding to instant validation.
- 90% of attacks exposed in under 60 seconds: The sandbox reveals hidden payloads, redirect chains, and credential-harvesting pages in seconds, cutting average triage time by more than half.
- Full visibility in one interface: Analysts see process trees, network traffic, and decoded URLs together; no switching between tools, no risk of missing a step.
- Automatic evidence collection: Every session generates IOCs, network indicators, and screenshots that can be exported or shared in a single click.
- Faster detection engineering: Verified TTPs and IOCs can be turned into new detection rules directly from the sandbox report.
- Safe handling environment: QR codes, phishing pages, and scripts execute only inside the isolated VM, analysts stay fully protected while observing real behavior.
- Collaborative workflows: Share sessions across the team or integrate with your SIEM, SOAR, or ticketing system to accelerate incident response.
Turn QR Phishing from a Blind Spot Into a 60-Second Investigation
Quishing doesn’t only test your defenses but also your efficiency. Analysts spend hours decoding images, validating links, and correlating telemetry that should already be visible.
ANY.RUN changes that balance, giving SOCs the kind of context they can act on instantly.
With automation built into every stage of analysis, SOC teams using ANY.RUN report measurable results:
- Up to 58% more threats identified overall, including those that bypass standard filters and static analysis.
- 94% of users report faster triage, thanks to automated IOC collection and ready-to-share reports.
- 95% of SOC teams speed up investigations, connecting decoded URLs, network traffic, and threat behavior in one workflow.
Try ANY.RUN to uncover hidden phishing payloads, decode QR attacks safely, and turn every investigation into actionable insight. 
