The National Police has launched a campaign on social media to raise awareness about the growing fraud known as tabnabbing, a cybercrime technique that can compromise the security of users’ accounts and banking data.
This type of phishing is especially dangerous for those who tend to work with multiple tabs open in their browsers.
Tabnabbing manifests itself in two ways: classic (or passive) tabnabbing and reverse tabnabbing. In the first case, a user visits an apparently innocent page and switches to another tab.
A phishing attempt that is hard to identify
During that time, cybercriminals can replace the content of the inactive tab with a fake page that mimics a legitimate site, such as that of a bank or an email service. Upon returning, the user finds the session closed and, unknowingly, provides their credentials when trying to log in again.
On the other hand, reverse tabnabbing occurs when a link opens a new tab, which can lead to the previous tab being automatically modified to display a fake page. This method has not only affected individuals but has also been used in campaigns targeting employees of companies, according to the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE).
Warnings about the increase in tabnabbing cases also come from the Bank of Spain, which has indicated a notable rise in these frauds, particularly among users who keep many tabs open at the same time. The National Police seeks to raise awareness among the population about this technique, which is little known but can have serious consequences for personal and business security.
The use of social media by the National Police thus becomes a key tool for disseminating critical information about cybersecurity and protecting citizens from digital frauds such as tabnabbing.