What Is Tabnabbing and How Does It Work?

Have you heard of tabnabbing? This advanced form of phishing manipulates inactive browser tabs to steal personal or corporate data. Learn how to recognise and prevent these attacks to protect your organisation.

What Is Tabnabbing?

Tabnabbing is a sophisticated cyberattack where a malicious website silently changes the content of an inactive browser tab to mimic a trusted site. This deception tricks users into entering sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial details, unknowingly handing control to attackers. It exploits the assumption that inactive tabs remain unchanged, making it one of the stealthier phishing methods.

Similar to other phishing techniques, tabnabbing is used for identity theft, malware distribution, and account compromise. But how does it work in practice?

Imagine you have several tabs open while working. Hackers exploit this common behaviour by creating a copy of an inactive tab. When you return to that tab, it may appear identical to the original, but it is actually a malicious replica. Any credentials or personal information entered are captured by the attacker.

Examples of Tabnabbing

Tabnabbing attacks often rely on multiple open tabs and can also be triggered by adverts or pop-ups. A typical scenario might be:

1. A user visits a social media platform such as Facebook, where they feel safe and less cautious.
2. While browsing other tabs, they click on an enticing link or advertisement that seems legitimate.
3. The original social media tab becomes inactive, allowing hackers time to replicate it and set up a redirect.
4. Upon returning to the original tab, the user sees what appears to be their Facebook page, but it is a malicious copy.
5. The user is prompted to re-enter login information, unknowingly giving attackers access to their account and additional personal data.

How Dangerous Is Tabnabbing?

Phishing, in all its forms, remains one of the most costly threats for organisations. Tabnabbing is particularly dangerous because it is less recognised than traditional phishing and can go unnoticed by untrained employees. Even a single click can compromise sensitive information, causing both financial and reputational damage. Cisco’s 2021 research indicates that at least one employee in 86% of companies clicked on a phishing link, highlighting the pervasive risk.

How Do You Protect Yourself from Tabnabbing?

There are several effective strategies to safeguard against tabnabbing:

1. Keep only a few tabs open. Fewer tabs reduce the risk of losing track of inactive pages that attackers can exploit.
2. Check the address bar. Always verify the URL before entering sensitive information. Malicious replicas often have slightly altered addresses.
3. Inspect page content carefully. Look for minor design differences, spelling errors, or unusual wording, as hackers rarely copy websites perfectly.
4. Use two-factor authentication (2FA). Even if credentials are compromised, 2FA provides an additional layer of protection.
5. Keep browsers and extensions updated. Security patches reduce vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.
6. Educate employees about tabnabbing. Awareness and training are critical in preventing users from falling for these attacks.

Learn More About MetaCompliance Solutions

Protecting your organisation from tabnabbing and other cyber threats requires a proactive approach that combines technology, training, and human risk management. MetaCompliance offers a comprehensive suite of solutions to reduce human error and enhance cyber resilience across your organisation.

Our Human Risk Management Platform includes:

• Automated Security Awareness
• Advanced Phishing Simulations
• Risk Intelligence & Analytics
• Compliance Management

To discover how MetaCompliance can help strengthen your organisation’s defences against tabnabbing and phishing attacks, contact us today to book a demo.