As India embraces digital banking, hybrid work and paperless governance, cybersecurity experts are warning of a growing threat that bypasses firewalls, passwords and phishing scams altogether: visual hacking.
Also known as “shoulder surfing”, the practice involves unauthorised viewing of sensitive information directly from another person’s screen in public spaces such as airports, cafés, trains and co-working offices. While often perceived as a low-tech risk, cybersecurity professionals say it can expose financial records, confidential emails, business documents and personal data without leaving any digital trail.
The issue is gaining prominence as millions of Indians increasingly work and conduct financial transactions on laptops Laptops and smartphones outside traditional office environments. With more than 650 million internet users and among the world’s highest levels of daily screen time, India presents a vast and expanding landscape where sensitive information is routinely accessed in public settings.
Research by the Ponemon Institute has found that a majority of attempts to view information over a person’s shoulder are successful and frequently go unnoticed, underscoring what experts describe as a significant yet under-recognised vulnerability in the broader cybersecurity ecosystem.
Unlike malware or phishing attacks, visual hacking exploits human behaviour rather than technological weaknesses, making it difficult to detect through conventional security tools. Cybersecurity specialists say organisations have invested heavily in network security and endpoint protection but have paid comparatively little attention to physical privacy risks in an era of flexible work.
The growing dependence on screens has also drawn attention to another concern—digital eye strain. Long hours spent on laptops, tablets and smartphones are increasingly associated with eye fatigue, headaches and reduced productivity, prompting employers to examine screen ergonomics alongside cybersecurity measures.
Industry executives say awareness remains the biggest challenge. “Cybersecurity is no longer confined to protecting networks and passwords. Employees also need to be conscious of what is visible on their screens when working in public spaces,” said Sandeepchaitanya Prudhvi, co-founder of Pxin.in, a company that manufactures privacy filters and screen-protection products.
As organisations strengthen their cyber defences against increasingly sophisticated digital threats, security professionals argue that physical screen privacy should become part of standard workplace policies. Measures such as employee awareness, careful screen positioning and privacy filters, they say, can help reduce the risk of inadvertent data exposure.
With remote work and digital services continuing to expand, experts believe the next frontier in cybersecurity may not lie in stronger software, but in protecting the information that remains visible in plain sight.