Clickjacking

Clickjacking is a malicious practice used by cybercriminals to mislead web users into performing unexpected behavior on websites, such as clicking a button or link, without their knowledge or consent. It is a type of online fraud related to social engineering. Clickjacking is also known as a “UI redress attack,” as it takes advantage of the misalignment in a user interface (UI) between what the user sees and what the attacker has designed. It is often used to trick unsuspecting users into giving away personal information or entering into financial transactions.

Clickjacking involves the use of hidden frames, invisible images, and HTML elements, such as links, to deceive the user into clicking on something that is either malicious or does not produce the desired outcome. By overlaying clickable elements on a page, the attacker can then control where the user clicks and manipulate the actions that result from the click. In the most severe cases, clickjacking can be used to launch phishing attacks and steal users’ passwords and financial information.

To protect against clickjacking, webmasters should ensure that user interfaces are properly designed and properly aligned with what users expect to see when interacting with a website. In addition, web browsers can be configured with clickjacking protections, such as “frame busting” or disabling HTML elements by default. Finally, security software, such as anti-virus programs, can be used to detect and stop clickjacking attacks.