Automated quarantine helps end users by stopping suspicious emails before they ever reach an inbox, cutting off exposure to phishing, malware, and other threats that are especially common in healthcare environments. According to the study Phishing in healthcare organisations: threats, mitigation and approaches, healthcare organizations often see 2–3% of all inbound email flagged as potentially malicious, which in large systems can translate into tens of thousands of dangerous messages and millions of blocked transactions each month.
To keep that volume from overwhelming staff, modern email security platforms rely on layered defenses, content inspection, sender authentication through standards like DMARC, antivirus scanning, and intelligent spam filtering, to automatically quarantine risky messages without putting the burden on users. Tools such as Paubox’s QR code scanning for email security add another layer of protection by decoding embedded QR codes before anyone has the chance to scan them, closing off a fast-growing avenue for credential theft and mobile-based phishing.
This kind of proactive isolation assists with areas like healthcare, where the above phishing simulation shows that even well-trained employees still click on malicious links at rates as high as 14%. By combining deep malware analysis, blocking dangerous features like macros, and maintaining detailed quarantine logs in line with HIPAA retention requirements, organizations reduce the risk of breaches tied to outdated devices or remote work setups.
When paired with strong firewall controls that prevent follow-on access to malicious sites and ongoing staff awareness efforts, automated quarantine turns email security from a reactive cleanup effort into a frontline defense that quietly protects users every day.
Attackers increasingly use QR codes as a shortcut for phishing, a tactic often called ‘quishing,’ because it lets them slip past traditional email filters and tap into the trust people place in a quick scan. Instead of obvious malicious links, cybercriminals embed QR codes in emails, flyers, or even printed notices, promising things like discounts, delivery updates, or urgent account actions.
As one recent Sensors study on business email compromise puts it, “In an era of ever-evolving and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, protecting sensitive information from cyberattacks such as business email compromise (BEC) attacks has become a top priority for individuals and enterprises.”
When someone scans the code on their phone, they’re quietly redirected to a fake website designed to look just like a bank login page, a social media account, or a payment service such as Google Pay, WhatsApp, or Paytm. From there, it only takes one moment of confusion for attackers to collect passwords, one-time passcodes, or payment details. According to FBI data in the study, it led to nearly $2.7 billion in global losses from BEC attacks in 2022 alone.
What makes these scams especially effective is how well they hide in plain sight. The real destination is often masked behind shortened or scrambled URLs, making it harder for both users and security tools to spot the danger. Criminals also tailor these attacks for maximum impact, targeting executives and finance teams with highly personalized messages that feel legitimate, even to people who have gone through security awareness training.
In BEC schemes, QR codes now show up in fake invoices or urgent alerts, leading victims either to install malware like keyloggers and remote-access tools or to authorize fraudulent payments.
Automated quarantine is most effective when it’s tightly woven into the everyday tools that protect email in the first place. Instead of acting as a separate safety net, it becomes part of a seamless defense system, one that starts the moment a message enters the network. Features like Paubox’s QR code scanning show how this integration works in real life.
The phishing study mentioned above offers that, “around 2%–3% of the large volume of emails and internet traffic to an NHS healthcare organisation are considered suspicious, emphasising the need for robust firewalls, cyber security infrastructure and IT policies and staff training.”
As emails arrive, embedded QR codes are automatically decoded and checked for risky destinations, suspicious redirects, or known phishing patterns. If a code points to something dangerous, the system doesn’t wait for a user to make the mistake of scanning it; the message is immediately pulled into quarantine, cutting off the threat before it ever reaches an inbox.
This kind of built-in coordination between scanning tools and quarantine changes email security from reactive to preventive. Instead of relying on staff to recognize a fake invoice, a spoofed login page, or a cleverly disguised payment request, the platform handles those decisions behind the scenes.
When combined with other protections like link analysis, attachment scanning, and sender authentication, automated quarantine becomes the final gate that ensures anything flagged, whether it’s a malicious QR code or a classic phishing attempt, never gets the chance to reach an end user.
What makes automated quarantine especially effective is that it works without adding friction for staff. Advanced scanning tools analyze images, PDFs, and attachments for embedded QR codes, decode the information they point to, and flag anything that appears suspicious.
Other ways it is useful include:
See also: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide (2025 Update)
Common threats include phishing emails, BEC attempts, malware attachments, spoofed messages, and emails containing suspicious QR codes or shortened links.
No, but it reduces risk. Training helps people recognize threats, while automated quarantine acts as a safety net that catches attacks even when someone is distracted, rushed, or unsure.
Email security platforms use a combination of sender authentication, reputation checks, content analysis, malware scanning, and behavioral patterns to score each message.