{"id":14374,"date":"2023-11-02T13:23:42","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T19:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lexingtonlaw.com\/blog\/?p=14374"},"modified":"2025-06-06T10:45:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T16:45:46","slug":"shoulder-surfing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lexingtonlaw.com\/blog\/negative-items\/shoulder-surfing.html","title":{"rendered":"What is shoulder surfing and how does it threaten your security?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, act as legal, financial or credit advice. <\/em>See Lexington Law\u2019s editorial disclosure for more information.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shoulder surfing is the act of peering over someone\u2019s shoulder while they\u2019re entering personal information, like a PIN or password, in public. This allows thieves to commit criminal activity using your information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re probably familiar with that suspicious feeling of someone looking over your shoulder. But you tell yourself there\u2019s no harm in someone being a little nosy, right? Unfortunately, someone can tell a lot from looking over your shoulder\u2014including your passcode, Social Security number<\/a> and debit card PIN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This practice of looking over someone\u2019s shoulder to steal personal information is called shoulder surfing. Keep reading to learn more about how this happens and how to protect yourself from potential criminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>What is shoulder surfing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shoulder surfing is the act of peering over someone\u2019s shoulder while they\u2019re entering personal information\u2014like a PIN or password\u2014in public. It\u2019s a practice commonly used by identity thieves to ascertain login credentials that are then used for scams<\/a>, fraud and other criminal activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The practice of shoulder surfing began with telephone booths as people would enter credit card information or their PINs on the keypad. It then spread to other areas with keypads, such as ATMs and gas pumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, shoulder surfing is even more common due to the prevalence of smartphones, tablets and laptops. Identity thieves<\/a> have mastered the art of subtle observation and keen listening, and they may even record people on a smartphone from a distance to review the footage later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact is, shoulder surfing may occur anywhere groups of people are gathered. A NYU Tandon School of Engineering<\/a> survey found that 73 percent of mobile device users had observed someone else\u2019s PIN\u2014although malicious intent was not always indicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>Examples of shoulder surfing attack<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Knowing which situations surfers take advantage of can help you stay vigilant and make safe decisions, whether you\u2019re using mobile banking apps or trying to pay a bill over the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shoulder surfers may obtain sensitive information when people are doing any of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n