9 ways to protect yourself from shoulder surfing
In today’s interconnected world, technology plays an integral role in people’s daily lives, and the need to safeguard one’s personal information has never been more critical. As users carry out many tasks on their devices, including sharing confidential data and conducting financial transactions, the threat of cybersecurity attacks, hackers, and shoulder surfers looms ominously.
Shoulder surfing happens almost everywhere to thousands of people worldwide, and the purposes of shoulder surfing are not always due to malicious intent. One excellent example is a recent study from NYU, which found that 73 percent of survey respondents indicated they had seen the confidential PIN of someone else without them knowing.
The consequences of shoulder surfing can have incredibly damaging effects, including identity theft, selling the victim’s private information on the dark web, and emptying the victim’s bank accounts.
What is shoulder surfing?
Shoulder surfing refers to a form of visual hacking that occurs when someone covertly observes and steals a person’s sensitive information by looking over the victim’s shoulder. People commit shoulder surfing to gain various forms of private information such as ATM PINs, private conversations, or passwords.
As a result, this invasion of privacy can compromise personal and financial information, unauthorized access to accounts, and identity theft. The most common examples of shoulder surfing include:
ATMs
Shoulder surfers typically stand nearby when people utilize ATMs to withdraw cash or make transactions to get a glimpse of their PIN numbers. In some cases, shoulder surfers are sneaky enough to use their phone’s video camera to record a person’s PIN.
Public wi-fi
Unless you use a VPN, connecting to public Wi-Fi networks in airports and cafes can be dangerous because these networks have vulnerabilities that shoulder surfers or cybercriminals can exploit. Specifically, shoulder surfers may try to view your sensitive information or social media login credentials while they are being entered.
Payment terminals
Similar to ATMs, shoulder surfers typically target people using payment terminals such as restaurants or stores in an attempt to steal PINs, credit card numbers, and CVV codes.
Security checkpoints
Shoulder surfers target people at security checkpoints, such as those in government buildings or airports, to observe passcodes and access cards being used or to collect personal information from documents.
Document viewing
Public settings such as cafes or libraries are ideal locations for shoulder surfers to intentionally position themselves to view sensitive information on another person’s device screen. Examples of personal information they typically gather this way are bank statements, confidential work documents, and personal emails.
Conversations
Shoulder surfers can have sharp eyes and good hearing, which puts your screens in danger and what you say in crowded places. Shoulder surfers often have eavesdropping skills they incorporate to collect personal information like addresses or phone numbers.
As mentioned, security and privacy are paramount in the digital world today, and people must protect themselves against such threats.
Protective measures against shoulder surfing
For people to protect themselves against shoulder surfing attacks, it is imperative to employ effective protective strategies and adopt proactive measures. This comprehensive article will explore the nine most practical and highly effective methods to protect yourself from shoulder surfing, ensuring your personal information’s security, integrity, and confidentiality.
1. Establish physical barriers
One of the most practical yet simplest methods of defending oneself against a shoulder surfer is the establishment of physical barriers. Creating physical barriers that restrict others’ line of sight from one’s keypads and screens serves as the first line of defense against shoulder surfers.
By strategically positioning oneself and their device, an individual can minimize the threat of unauthorized observation. Here are some practical techniques for establishing physical barriers.
Choose seating arrangements
Choosing a seat in a corner or against a wall is ideal when working or utilizing one’s device in a public location. This positioning restricts shoulder surfers from finding the best angle to view their target’s screen.
Avoid crowded areas
If individuals can help it, they should avoid opening their devices in densely populated areas. These crowded places are often the best hiding spots for shoulder surfers to blend in with large crowds and covertly steal information.
Use privacy screen filters
Privacy screen filters are thin layers one can apply to the device’s display. These privacy screen filters restrict viewing angles, making it difficult for shoulder surfers to view your screen unless the device is under direct observation from the front.
2. Practice situational awareness
A healthy awareness of one’s surroundings is critical to protecting oneself from shoulder surfing. A person must constantly pay attention to the people around them, especially within public environments where sensitive data is typically on full display.
One must always be cautious and adjust their position accordingly when they notice suspicious behavior or someone taking an interest in their activities. Situation awareness enables people to detect threats and take the appropriate steps to defend their personal information.
Here are techniques one can incorporate to improve their situational awareness.
Observe the people around you
Always keep an eye out for individuals that exhibit intrusive behavior. It is imperative to be mindful of anyone who appears overly interested in your screen or seems to be intentionally attempting to view your input.
Adjust your position
A person protecting their private data must always be ready to reposition whenever they notice another person nearby is constantly glancing at their screen. Repositioning allows a person to defend themselves from shoulder surfers by limiting their view or blocking their line of sight entirely.
Secure your personal space
Using physical objects such as books or bags is an excellent method for establishing a physical barrier between a person’s screen and potential shoulder surfers.
Be mindful in public areas
It is vital to remain vigilant when utilizing devices or working in public spaces such as airports or cafes. These locations often provide opportunities for shoulder surfers to steal personal data due to close proximity.
3. Adjust device display settings
Optimizing the display settings on your device can massively enhance your protection against shoulder surfers. Even the simplest adjustments, such as screen timeout and screen brightness settings, can make all the difference in giving shoulder surfers a more difficult time trying to steal your private information.
Reduce screen brightness
Decreasing or dimming the screen brightness saves battery life and reduces visibility from distant prying eyes trying to snoop at your device. The dimmer the brightness, the more difficult it will be for shoulder surfers to read the content projecting on your screen.
Enable shorter screen timeout
Configure the settings on your device to lock the screen automatically and activate the biometric authentication or lock screen password after a few seconds of inactivity. This minimizes the threat of shoulder surfers accessing your device if you leave it unattended.
Adjust display orientation
Rotating the screen orientation of your device ensures that sensitive data is not easy to view by people sitting behind or beside you.
4. Utilize built-in security features
Certain devices provide built-in security features designed to combat shoulder surfing attempts. Taking advantage of these security features can bolster how a person protects their private information significantly.
Here are some well-known examples of built-in security features.
Facial recognition and fingerprint scanners
Most devices like tablets and smartphones now come with fingerprint scanners or advanced facial recognition. These biometric authentication methods ensure that only the device owner may access it, providing additional security against shoulder surfers.
Microsoft Windows Hello authentication
Some laptops incorporate facial recognition technology and infrared cameras called Windows Hello. This feature provides users with a convenient and secure way to access their devices while minimizing the threat of shoulder surfing attacks.
Voice recognition
Voice recognition technology is slowly becoming more prevalent in devices as an additional authentication method and security measure. Utilizing voiceprint enables these systems to provide their users with secure access to their devices while making it close to impossible for unauthorized individuals to gain access.
5. Use virtual keyboards
Virtual keyboards provide additional protection for users inputting sensitive information in public places. Examples of sensitive information include passwords, debit and credit card numbers, personal identification numbers, credit card details, mobile phone numbers, and social security numbers.
These on-screen keyboards project a graphical representation of a keyboard that changes the position of the keys each time they are used. This dynamic layout makes it infuriatingly challenging for shoulder surfers to decipher the characters the user enters.
Most devices offer virtual keyboard options that users can enable at any time. These keyboards are typically available through the settings of the device or as a separate application.
6. Implement two-factor authentication or 2FA
Utilizing two-factor authentication or 2FA provides an additional layer of security to a person’s accounts, which reduces the risk of unauthorized access even if a cybercriminal observes their passwords.
Most accounts that the average person holds provide a two-factor authentication feature that can be activated anytime. The most well-known two-factor authentication methods include receiving a unique and randomly generated code via SMS, biometric verification, or a dedicated authentication application.
Multi-factor authentication
While two-factor identification is an excellent way to add more layers of protection, multi-factor authentication takes security to the next level. Multi-factor authentication typically involves a combination of something you know by heart, such as a password; something you have on your person, such as a mobile device; and something you are, which is biometric data.
Security key devices
Some services support using security key devices such as near-field communication, or NFC, and USB keys for authentication purposes. These physical devices provide another layer of protection by using a specific key unique to your device or account.
This makes it close to impossible for shoulder surfers to gain unauthorized access.
7. Be mindful of conversations
Maintaining a healthy awareness of your conversations is essential to protecting yourself from shoulder surfers that could be eavesdropping for target spoken information. Whether it is a discussion about sensitive matters face-to-face or over the phone, one must be vigilant and mindful of their conversations to ensure their confidentiality.
Lower your voice
Speaking at a lower volume is always better to prevent eavesdropping when discussing confidential matters. This reduces the risk of shoulder surfers stealing information from your conversations through eavesdropping or recording devices.
Find a secluded area
Whenever possible, always look for a secluded or private place if you need to discuss sensitive information. Besides lowering your voice, secluded areas help minimize the chances of a shoulder surfer eavesdropping on your conversation.
Use encryption for calls
Always use communication apps that provide end-to-end encryption, especially in confidential phone calls. End-to-end encryption is arguably the best way to prevent shoulder surfers from intercepting and deciphering your private conversations.
8. Incorporate screen protectors
Like privacy screen filters, screen protectors function as effective physical protection, which limits your screen visibility from various angles. This makes it incredibly difficult for shoulder surfers to peek at your screen to steal information unless they look directly in front of it.
Anti-glare screen protectors
An anti-glare screen protector minimizes visibility from side angles and reduces reflections, making it more challenging for shoulder surfers to view your screen.
Matte Screen Protectors
Matte screen protectors make it challenging for shoulder surfers to discern the content on the victim’s screen from off-center positions by diffusing light from the screen’s surface.
9. Educate yourself and others
Education plays a critical role in raising awareness and combating the threat of shoulder surfers, hackers, and cybercriminals. Staying informed about the latest preventive measures and techniques allows one to implement effective strategies actively.
Additionally, sharing this information helps establish a safer and more secure digital environment.
Stay informed
It is ideal always to keep updated on the latest techniques shoulder surfers use in their attacks, as they are often for bypassing established layers of protection. Keeping updated on the latest shoulder surfing attack methods allows one to develop new countermeasures accordingly.
Share knowledge
While it is crucial to protect yourself first, educating family, friends, and colleagues on your knowledge of shoulder surfers and the countermeasures they can adopt is also important. Spreading awareness of this growing threat to private information significantly contributes to creating a more security-conscious community.
Training and workshops
Institutions and organizations can conduct training workshops and sessions to educate individuals and employees about shoulder surfing threats and the best protection practices.
Protect your private data from shoulder surfers
Protecting yourself from shoulder surfers is critical in today’s digital age, where a person’s private information is vulnerable to visual hacking. By adopting these nine effective methods, people can significantly enhance their protection and maintain tight security over sensitive information.
By implementing these proactive and preventive measures, a person can take control of their privacy and ensure the confidentiality of their digital interactions. Shoulder surfing should not compromise the security of a person’s personal information, and with the right strategies, one can confidently navigate the digital landscape without fear for their private data.
