eScan Enterprise DLP closes critical data security blind spot with industry-first QR code scanning

eScan has announced a major enhancement to its eScan Enterprise Data Loss Prevention (DLP) platform with the introduction of automated QR code and Data Matrix barcode scanning—a first-of-its-kind capability designed to close a growing and widely acknowledged gap in enterprise data protection.

The move comes amid mounting evidence that visual codes are increasingly being exploited to bypass traditional security controls. In October 2025, researchers from Barracuda Networks documented more than half a million phishing emails containing QR codes embedded in PDF attachments over just three months. Separately, a 2025 study published by the IEEE found that most DLP solutions fail to detect sensitive data exfiltration attempts hidden within QR codes—describing this as a “significant vulnerability” in modern enterprise security architectures.

“We noticed something our customers were telling us,” said Govind Rammurthy, CEO of MicroWorld Technologies, the parent company of eScan. “Employees were finding creative ways to bypass DLP controls, and QR codes kept coming up in security audits. When we looked at what other vendors were doing, we were surprised to find they weren’t scanning barcodes at all.”

Tackling a fast-growing attack vector

The new capability enables eScan Enterprise DLP to automatically decode QR codes and Data Matrix barcodes embedded in images across email attachments, web uploads, and file transfers. Once decoded, the content is subjected to the same inspection policies applied to text-based documents—scanning for sensitive data such as credit card numbers, Aadhaar and PAN details, intellectual property, and other regulated or confidential information. The system can also flag patterns that suggest encrypted or deliberately obfuscated data.

The threat landscape underscores the urgency. According to Keepnet Labs, “quishing”—phishing attacks delivered via QR codes—increased by 25% in 2025, with only 36% of such attacks being accurately identified. Nearly 29% of phishing emails in sectors such as energy, manufacturing, and retail now contain malicious QR codes. While many of these attacks target credentials, security researchers warn that the same mechanism can be used to quietly exfiltrate corporate data.

The IEEE research, presented at the 2025 Computing and Communication Workshop, demonstrated how QR codes could covertly encode and extract sensitive enterprise information. The study found that most DLP tools—designed to monitor emails, uploads, and file transfers—missed these attempts because they did not decode visual data beyond basic optical character recognition (OCR).

Built for real-world enterprise use

eScan’s implementation supports both QR codes, now commonplace in everyday business interactions, and Data Matrix barcodes, widely used in manufacturing and logistics environments. To ensure enterprise readiness, the solution includes timeout protections to preserve scanning performance at scale and can identify indicators of encrypted payloads even when the underlying data cannot be immediately interpreted.

According to the company, the feature can be enabled directly through the eScan DLP management console and does not require additional hardware or introduce significant performance overhead.

With more than 25 years of experience serving enterprise customers across over 90 countries, MicroWorld Technologies says the enhancement reflects its focus on addressing practical, emerging security gaps as workplace technologies—and threat techniques—continue to evolve.