Pastejacking is a method or technique that is used by malicious websites to gain the control of clipboard in computer and it then changes the clipboard content to some malicious content without permission.

Pastejacking is a very powerful technique for exploiting victims. As the command copied by the victim is changed and any command which may be harmful for the victims’ information, credentials, and private data may be at a risk.

1. All browser allows user to run the command on the PC, and this is the loophole where Pastejacking comes into play.
2. This method changes the command in the clipboard and replaces it with any other malicious code.
3. This method is an exploit in which clipboards data is replaced by some malicious data for example a link of malicious website, or malicious commands.
4. For this method, such a website is made form which the text we copied is replaced by some hidden malicious code or a command which when used by the user exploits the system and the security is compromised.
5. This technique works on any of the operating systems and is a very powerful technique for exploiting someone’s system.

Demonstration

Let us now see how Pastejacking actually works.

Step 1: Go to the website

Step 2: When we will copy the code some other code will be copied to clipboard.

Here we can see the code we copied is different from the code that is copied. You can try the above demonstration on your computer to understand it more.

Why Pastejacking Is Harmful?
Let’s say you copied a code that you want to run in a console or command prompt (Ctrl+C) and then paste it to your console window (Ctrl+V) but here is the catch the code you copied is replaced by some malicious code and executes some other harmful code. When you paste the code directly into the console window it automatically executes and Users cannot then select “Yes” or “No”, and windows command prompt do not ask for the confirmation. In this case, the malicious code automatically runs (Ctrl+V) and if the code is harmful your system security, data, is at risk.

How To Avoid Pastejacking.

1. If you are a Windows user, then Before copy-pasting anything, you should copy-paste it the Notebook, just to check if the actual words got copied.
2. If you are a Linux user, then Before copy-pasting anything, you should copy-paste it the any text editor, just to check if the actual words got copied.
3. Same as MacOs.