Every day, countless individuals fall victim to a similar form of information theft: shoulder surfing. In this article, we’ll unveil the surprising simplicity of this low-tech attack and equip you with three easy steps to protect your sensitive data from prying eyes.
Shoulder surfing is a simple method of information theft attackers can use. We will call them the overlookers in this article, but they look over your shoulder to gain valuable information like user names, passwords, and customer information, among other things that perpetuate information theft. Many individuals implement advanced security technologies but forget about the overlookers. In this article, I’ll suggest three simple actions that will help to prevent shoulder surfing information theft.
Look Around
The first and simplest step is to take the action that ensures you are aware of your environment. Look around you and observe what you see. Is someone near you and positioned such that they could easily observe the information on your screen? Does someone have a phone with the rear camera aimed in your direction that could be used to zoom in on your screen? If either is true, find a better location to access sensitive information. This action is particularly important when you are in public places where anyone could easily observe the information on your screen and commit information theft. The simple act of “looking around” makes you more aware of your environment and is a habit that all technology users should develop.
Cover Your Screen
You can acquire screen covers that remove visibility from an angle. These can be very useful when using a laptop computer on an airplane or in other public spaces. They will prevent someone who is able to see your screen from an angle, from viewing the information on the screen. They are designed to take advantage of light behaviors and prevent the light from escaping at inappropriate angles or diminishing its strength. Most such filters are effective at 45-degree angles and higher (assuming the front view is 0 degrees).
Remove Information from the Screen
The final solution is to simply remove sensitive information from the screen. Of course, you must display it to use it, but as soon as you are finished, remove it from the screen. Never leave the information on the screen and then walk away or otherwise make the information more accessible. At the very least, cover the information with another window so that an attacker would be required to interact with the computer to view the information.
Following these actions will help prevent information theft through shoulder surfing and provide greater data security.
Cybersecurity breaches are no longer a matter of “if,” but “when.” The question is, will your team be prepared to minimize the impact and disruption? The AACSP CyberSecure course provides the practical skills and knowledge to identify, prevent, and mitigate cyber threats, ensuring business continuity and protecting your bottom line. Invest in your future, invest in CyberSecure.
