AI-Driven Cyber Threats and Quishing Reach Record Levels in ESET's H1 2026 Threat Report

ESET tracks rise in malicious AI skills and adaptable malware

The first half of 2026 shows how attackers continue to improve the efficiency and scalability of their operations. Rather than relying on entirely new methods and tools, they are quickly adapting established techniques to new platforms, technologies, and user behaviors. Artificial intelligence is playing a growing role in this development. In H1 2026, ESET analyzed nearly 900,000 AI skills - small functional components used by AI agents - and identified tens of thousands of suspicious and thousands of outright malicious instances. The number of AI skills within this new ecosystem is growing rapidly "as we speak", further expanding the attack surface. AI is also beginning to appear within malware itself. Shortly after the emergence of the first AI-powered ransomware in 2025, ESET researchers identified PromptSpy, the first known Android malware to use generative AI in its execution flow. The malware leverages AI - specifically, Google's Gemini - to interpret user interface elements and adapt across devices and environments without relying on hardcoded behavior. While still rare, PromptSpy illustrates the potential for increased flexibility in future threats - although guardrails against abuse included in LLMs are likely slowing down the adoption. ClickFix - a social engineering technique leveraging fake error messages - has expanded beyond fake CAPTCHA prompts into AI-themed help pages, browser extensions, and cloud authentication scenarios. ESET detections of this vector more than doubled between H2 2025 and H1 2026, indicating sustained activity and adaptation. Phishing campaigns are also evolving in response to user behavior. QR code phishing - also known as quishing - has reached record levels in ESET telemetry, with attackers embedding malicious links in QR codes to bypass cursory inspection and shift user interaction to mobile devices, while exploiting the implicit trust many people place in the black-and-white squares. Last but not least, ransomware activity showed no signs of slowing down, with continued use of EDR killers - tools designed to disable security software during attacks. ESET Research has documented over 100 EDR killers used in the wild, with new variants appearing regularly. At the same time, data from multiple sources shows that a declining share of victims are choosing to pay ransoms, suggesting some progress in mitigation and response measures. Learn more about the latest attack techniques by reading the ESET Threat Report H1 2026.

ESET Threat Report H1 2026 Highlights AI-Driven Cyber Threats and Quishing

QR code phishing also known as quishing has reached record levels in ESET telemetry, with attackers embedding malicious links in QR codes to bypass inspection and shift user interaction to mobile devices while exploiting the implicit trust many people place in the barcodes with square patterns. Approximately 11% of all detected phishing emails in H1 2026 utilized QR codes, and QR code phishing threats were most prevalent in the US (19% of detections), Spain (17%), and Mexico (6%). India mirrors this trend closely: QR code phishing was India's second most-detected email threat category in the same period, underscoring the need for Indian enterprises and consumers alike to "stop before they scan." Meanwhile, ClickFix - a social engineering technique leveraging fake error messages - has expanded beyond fake CAPTCHA prompts into AI-themed help pages, browser extensions, and cloud authentication scenarios. AI-fix shows how adversaries exploit trust in generative AI, embedding ClickFix compromise chains into AI-generated troubleshooting content to nonexistent issues on pages that abuse domains of AI powerhouses. ConsentFix highlights an evolution toward token theft, combining ClickFix-style interaction with OAuth authorization abuse to hijack cloud accounts without the need to steal credentials, often bypassing MFA and relying entirely on legitimate login workflows. ESET detections of this vector more than doubled between H2 2025 and H1 2026, indicating sustained activity and adaptation. Phishing campaigns are also evolving in response to user behavior. QR code phishing - also known as quishing - has reached record levels in ESET telemetry, with attackers embedding malicious links in QR codes to bypass inspection and shift user interaction to mobile devices while exploiting the implicit trust many people place in the barcodes with square patterns. Approximately 11% of all detected phishing emails in H1 2026 utilized QR codes, and QR code phishing threats were most prevalent in the US (19% of detections), Spain (17%), and Mexico (6%). Last but not least, ransomware activity showed no signs of slowing down, with the continued use of EDR killers - tools designed to disable security software during attacks. ESET Research has documented over 100 different EDR killers used in the wild, with new variants appearing regularly. The number of ransomware attacks continued to grow in H1 2026, but the number of victims willing to pay reached all-time lows. Three recent industry reports confirmed this downward trend, reporting a 14-28% share of paying victims.