Hacks today come in all shapes and sizes. From social engineering to password cracking, bad actors are doing more with less post-pandemic thanks to new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). To make matters worse, they’re scaling these operations and targeting enterprises with low- or no-cost tools. Conversely, the admins behind enterprise ecosystems are under-resourced and overworked in the face of novel threats.
Case in point: screen hacking. This method uses electromagnetic interference to launch contactless attacks against smartphones and tablets. As a result, hackers can inject fake taps and swipes without physically touching the device, allowing them to unlock devices, eavesdrop on calls and use apps. Further, there’s even the potential to install spyware, apply screen overlays or launch man-in-the-middle attacks, a method where hackers secretly intercept and potentially alter communications between two parties.
This is a real-world threat that admins must tackle head-on, especially in the context of enterprise data and bring-your-own-device (BYOD).
What Is Screen Hacking?
Screen hacking uses electromagnetic interference to launch contactless attacks against smartphones and tablets. As a result, hackers can inject fake taps and swipes without physically touching the device, allowing them to unlock devices and execute malicious actions.
The Threat of Screen Hacking
It’s hard to protect against what you can’t see. For this reason, screen hacking is equal parts dangerous and difficult to thwart.
So, how do hackers do it? They use interference to spoof a device into thinking electromagnetic waves are actually human touches. This happens in person — think in a library or a coffee shop where people leave their devices in plain sight — using a machine to produce specific signals. These are targeted at different locations of the touchscreen to manipulate and control the device. It’s a scarily accurate and widely applicable hack: Researchers in this paper successfully launched “ghost touch” attacks on nine smartphone models.
There are plenty of different scenarios in which this hack can play out. Armed with taps and swipes, hackers can type, open apps, change settings or even install malware without physical access to the device.
The consequences of such malicious access, especially for devices integrated into enterprise ecosystems, are potentially severe. Screen hacking threatens sensitive data, passwords and personal messages, allowing for the possibility of changing critical security settings without the user noticing. Again, because the attack is contactless and stealthy, it’s difficult to detect until the damage is done.
How to Fight Back Against Screen Hacking
Admins and users alike need to be vigilant about the dangers of screen hacking. After all, since access is usually attained surreptitiously, the device owner is best positioned to flag unusual activity. Therefore, be on the lookout for phantom locking and unlocking. If your device is opening random websites, launching apps, or typing in the search field without physical input, it can signal much more than just a glitch.
Also, once inside, hackers often try to make a malicious connection to perform man-in-the-middle attacks. For example, they could use fake touches to connect your device to compromised wi-fi networks or pair with unknown Bluetooth devices, creating pathways for secretly intercepting and relaying communications to and from your device. This would let hackers hijack your data, access the device’s controls and alter endpoint behavior. So, watch out for unusual activity with Bluetooth and wi-fi, both of which can also be a telltale sign your device is compromised.
Of course, it’s worth noting that proximity is required for this hack. Electromagnetic waves travel only so far, making this kind of device intrusion much more likely to occur in a public space than in the confines of an office. With this in mind, admins can equip their device fleets with specific materials that prevent such waves from penetrating, like non-magnetic phone covers and screen protectors. Also, admins should get ahead of this hack by enforcing stronger and longer passwords (ensuring company property isn’t openable with a simple swipe) or pushing for facial recognition.
Admins Need to Be Vigilant
Unfortunately, this is the new normal for enterprise admins. Creative hacks emerge every other week and keeping up is challenging. This doesn’t mean the solution is to get rid of remote endpoints, however. These devices are significant efficiency and convenience enablers in the enterprise and therefore require a redoubling of cybersecurity efforts.
Unified endpoint management platforms are one way to enforce protective policies across devices. Things like enforcing password protection, encrypting data and restricting app usage go a long way to minimizing the fallout from this threat. And, if a device is compromised, these platforms can remotely lock or wipe it in seconds.
Admins should also consider BYOD rules that tier access controls and limit what these devices can open in public. Meanwhile, considering that employees are not only the front line but the first users of this attack vector, revised training is a must. Focused security efforts should focus on the warning signs of unauthorized access, mandatory reporting procedures for suspicious device behavior, and guidelines for device placement in public settings.
Admins and employees must work together to stop this emerging enterprise threat. The good news is that fighting back is possible with revised security training, policies, and awareness. This is how you can ensure screen hacking doesn’t become your next security blind spot.