Brazil is in 2nd place in the ranking of countries most affected by cyber attacks in Latin America. And it leads the world in data leakage for the second year running, with more than 1 million Brazilians victims of personal data theft and approximately 2.8 billion pieces of sensitive data exposed.

Among the techniques used to extract sensitive information, such as bank details and confidential documents, clickjacking is present, acting as an invisible villain amidst the immensity of the internet.

From 2021 to 2022, the number of companies that have been successfully hacked has risen to 84%, many of them through clickjacking emails.

Unravel the workings of this type of scam, which continues to claim more and more victims around the world, and find out how to stay out of the statistics.

What is clickjacking?

Clickjacking is a malicious technique used by cybercriminals to trick people into making unwanted clicks on certain elements of a website or application without them realizing it.

It works like this: criminals create a fake web page or application and place it on top of a legitimate site or application. They can do this using techniques such as invisible layers or transparent frames.

So when a person visits the site or uses the app, they see and interact with apparently normal content. This is a danger that could be hidden in your cell phone.

However, what she doesn't know is that by clicking on certain parts of the page or application, she is actually clicking on something different and potentially dangerous.

They may end up clicking on a malware download button, a link to a fraudulent website, etc.

Clickjacking is a serious threat, as users are tricked into being unaware that they are carrying out unwanted or harmful actions.

Types of clickjacking

In addition to traditional clickjacking, there are several other forms of this malicious practice.

• Cursorjacking: involves manipulating the user's cursor to trick them into clicking on unwanted areas.
• Likejacking: exploits the user's desire to interact with content on social networks by covering up "like" buttons with other clickable elements.
• UI redressing: modifies the user interface to trick the user into clicking on fake or malicious elements.
• DoS clickjacking: uses techniques to overload the system with repetitive clicks, resulting in a denial of service.

These different forms of clickjacking are used by malicious individuals to trick users into gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information or performing unwanted actions on their devices.

The difference between this and other types of cyber attack

The way cybercriminals work with clickjacking is different to other types of cyberattack.

Classic phishing, for example, is an attack in which criminals try to trick people into obtaining confidential information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, through fake emails, text messages or fake web pages.

Other cyber attacks, such as injection attacks like SQL injection and XSS (Cross-Site Scripting), exploit vulnerabilities in websites or applications to insert and execute malicious code. They aim to directly compromise the system or display unauthorized content.

Even ransomware, a type of malware that blocks access to a system or encrypts files until a ransom is paid to the criminals, differs from clickjacking in that it aims to encrypt valuable data.

Each of these attacks represents a unique threat and requires appropriate security measures to mitigate its impact.

Clickjacking, on the other hand, focuses on tricking the user into carrying out unwanted actions or clicking on hidden elements without their knowledge. Other cyber attacks, such as phishing, injection attacks and ransomware, have specific objectives, such as obtaining personal information, compromising systems or encrypting confidential data.

This makes clickjacking an avenue capable of redirecting individuals to other types of attacks, which makes this threat even more complex and difficult to combat.

Learn about the main risks and impacts of clickjacking

Clickjacking presents a number of risks and potential impacts, which can affect both users and organizations:

Theft of personal information

Through clickjacking, cybercriminals can direct users to fake websites or malicious pages that request confidential information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers or personal data.

This information can be used for identity theft, financial fraud or other types of cybercrime.

Malware installation

By clicking on hidden elements during an attack, users can inadvertently start downloading and installing malware on their devices. This malware can be designed to steal information, control the device remotely, spy on activities or carry out other malicious actions.

Execution of unwanted actions

By leading users to carry out unwanted actions without their knowledge, all it takes is a click on a fake button to lead to the sharing of inappropriate content on social networks, the sending of spam or even the carrying out of unauthorized financial transactions.

Damage to reputation and loss of trust

If a company or organization is the target of clickjacking, it can cause significant damage to its reputation. Users can feel betrayed, losing confidence in the organization and its services. This can lead to financial losses, fewer customers and lasting damage to the company's image.

Financial losses

With clickjacking, both users and companies can fall victim to financial fraud, however, organizations can also face additional costs to mitigate the incident, strengthen security and deal with the legal consequences of the crime for data leakage and violation.

How to protect yourself?

Various measures can be taken to protect yourself against clickjacking and other cyber attacks. Here are some tips we have prepared for you:

Use reliable security solutions

It is essential to use a combination of security solutions, such as antivirus, firewalls and anti-malware software.

These tools help detect and block known threats, providing an additional layer of protection against attacks, including clickjacking.

Take advantage of technological advances

Modern browsers and other applications are increasingly implementing security measures to combat threats.

Make sure you use the latest version of your browser, as they usually have updates that include security fixes and enhanced protection features.

Keep your software up to date

Regularly updating your operating system software, browsers, plugins and other applications is crucial.  

Updates usually include patches and security fixes that address known vulnerabilities, which help protect against clickjacking attacks, as the developers fix the flaws exploited by cybercriminals.

Be cautious when interacting with unknown elements

Avoid clicking on suspicious links or on elements of a website or application that don't seem to work properly.

If something looks suspicious, trust your instinct and avoid interacting with the content. Be careful when providing personal information on unknown websites and always check the authenticity of pages and applications before sharing sensitive data.

Adopting these security practices and keeping up to date with the best protection measures reduces the risk of falling into traps such as clickjacking and other cyber attacks.

ISH is here to help you on your journey. Want to know more? Talk to our team now. We look forward to hearing from you.