North Korean state-sponsored cyber threat group Kimsuky is targeting American entities via a QR code scheme that can compromise sensitive information, the FBI said in a Jan. 8 alert.
“As of 2025, Kimsuky actors have targeted think tanks, academic institutions, and both U.S. and foreign government entities with embedded malicious Quick Response (QR) codes in spearphishing campaigns,” the FBI said. “This type of spearphishing attack is referred to as Quishing.”
“Quishing (QR Code Phishing) is a phishing technique in which adversaries embed malicious URLs inside QR codes to force victims to pivot from their corporate endpoint to a mobile device, bypassing traditional email security controls.”…
North Korean Hackers Using QR Codes to Steal Sensitive Information: FBI
