Definition
Shoulder surfing is a social engineering technique where an attacker observes your screen or keyboard input to steal sensitive information. This can happen physically by looking over your shoulder or digitally through screen sharing or remote access tools. Understanding this threat is crucial for protecting confidential data and maintaining operational security. For instance, an attacker might watch you enter a password at an ATM or observe you typing credentials into a work laptop in a public space. Unlike phishing, which relies on deceptive communications, shoulder surfing directly exploits visual access to information. This concept is frequently tested on cybersecurity certifications like CompTIA Security+ and CySA+.