The digital landscape is rife with a myriad of cyber threats. Some are overt and relatively easy to detect, while others are rather insidious and can stealthily cause significant damage.
Screen overlay attacks fall in the latter group. But what exactly are overlay attacks? How do they occur, and what can you do to protect yourself?
What Is an Overlay Attack?
An overlay attack is a type of cyberattack that revolves around manipulating User Interface (UI) elements. To break this down, the UI is the point of contact between a human and a machine that facilitates interaction. A well-designed UI makes this interaction easy and intuitive. For example, you don't have to write commands or learn a programming language to use the Windows operating system—navigating the mouse pointer gets the job done.
In an overlay attack, this point of interaction is compromised. The threat actor creates a deceptive layer that literally "overlays" a legitimate application or website. The user, thinking that they are interacting with the genuine interface, unknowingly shares sensitive information with the attacker, and in doing so, compromises their privacy and security.
As an example, let's say you have a banking app installed on your phone, and want to check your balance. You launch the app, put in your credentials, and go through the usual process of verifying who you are. You check the balance, nothing seems out of the ordinary, and so you move on.
However, because you unknowingly downloaded a malicious program a few days prior, your information is now compromised. Why? Because the malicious program launched in the background as soon as you launched the legitimate app and generated a fake overlay identical to your banking app's actual login screen, allowing the cybercriminal to capture your information (and possibly drain your bank account).
With this in mind, it's easy to see why overlay attacks are considered a type of phishing, albeit more sophisticated than your average scam email. All the major elements of a phishing attack are there: the attacker uses social engineering and impersonates a legitimate entity to deceive the target, whose sensitive information is compromised if they fall for the ruse.
How to Protect Against Screen Overlay Attacks
With overlay attacks being such a sneaky threat, it may seem as though protecting against them is very difficult. But that's not entirely true, because there are some basic precautions you can take to significantly reduce the chances of being affected.
Keep Your Device and OS Up to Date
Keeping your device and operating system up to date is the number one recommendation for a reason: not only do updates often include security patches, but they also improve functionality and compatibility. All apps on your smartphone and computer should be regularly updated as well.
Stick to Trusted Sources
To stay safe from overlay attacks and other threats, only download apps from trusted sources. As tempting as it may be to download an app or a fun video game from a third-party store or website, this considerably increases the chances of your device being infected with malware.
Review App Permission Regularly
Even when you get an app from Google Play, Apple's App Store, and other reputable marketplaces, it's still a good idea to carefully review the permissions it requests. In fact, you should make a habit of reviewing and managing app permissions. If you see any red flags (e.g. a weather app asking for access to your contacts), remove the app immediately.
Practice Good Cyber Hygiene Habits
In general, you should always strive to practice good cyber hygiene habits: use strong passwords and two-factor authentication, stay away from shady websites, never click on suspicious links, and install anti-malware software.
Stay Safe From Overlay Attacks and Other Threats
Overlay attacks are not as widely-discussed as some other cyber threats, but they definitely deserve attention, given how much damage they can cause.
This underscores how important it is to be informed, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends in cybersecurity. After all, cyberattacks are often a result of a lack of awareness.