New capability addresses critical security blind spot as QR‑based phishing and covert data leaks surge across global enterprises
eScan Cybersecurity Solutions has introduced a major enhancement to its Enterprise Data Loss Prevention (DLP) platform, adding automated scanning and decoding of QR codes and Data Matrix barcodes — an industry‑first capability designed to address a rapidly growing data security vulnerability. Announced on January 19, 2026, the update fills a blind spot that researchers say allows sensitive information to bypass even the most advanced enterprise DLP systems.
The launch comes amid a rise in “quishing” — phishing via QR codes — and increased use of QR‑encoded data to circumvent corporate security. In October 2025, Barracuda Networks reported more than 500,000 phishing emails with QR codes embedded within PDFs over a three‑month period. A 2025 IEEE research paper found that most DLP tools fail to detect sensitive data exfiltrated through QR codes, calling it a “significant vulnerability.”
“Employees were finding creative ways to bypass DLP controls — and QR codes kept showing up in audits. We were surprised to find other vendors weren’t scanning barcodes at all.”
— Govind Rammurthy, CEO, MicroWorld Technologies
Responding to customer feedback and research findings, eScan’s updated DLP platform automatically scans QR codes and Data Matrix barcodes embedded in email attachments, uploaded images, and file transfers. Once decoded, the content is run through the same policy engines used for text and document inspection, enabling detection of credit card numbers, Aadhaar and PAN details, customer data, intellectual property, and other sensitive patterns. The system can also flag encrypted or obfuscated content for deeper investigation.
Govind Rammurthy, CEO of MicroWorld Technologies, said misuse of QR codes has quietly become a major security threat. “Employees were finding creative ways to bypass DLP controls, and QR codes kept coming up in audits,” he said. “When we examined the market, we were shocked to see barcode decoding wasn’t being done at all.”
According to Keepnet Labs, quishing attacks increased 25% in 2025, with only 36% of threats properly identified. Nearly 29% of phishing emails in sectors like energy, retail, and manufacturing now carry malicious QR codes.
eScan’s implementation supports timeout protections for performance, requires no additional hardware, and can be enabled directly within the Enterprise DLP management console.
With over 25 years of cybersecurity expertise and customers in more than 90 countries, MicroWorld says this upgrade is part of its mission to close real‑world security gaps emerging from modern workplace behaviors.