Piggybacking Explained: How Cybercriminals and Fraudsters Ride on Your Access—Physically, Digitally, and Financially

Not all cyber-related threats take the form of complex malware or sophisticated phishing attacks. Some of the sneakiest attacks are surprisingly simple–a crook just exploits your legitimate access, resources or reputation.  In the cybersecurity industry, this is known as “piggybacking.”

From sneaking into secured offices to leeching off your internet, using your devices to mine crypto, or even riding your good credit history, piggybacking takes many forms, and all of them can cause real harm.

Let’s explore how piggybacking works in cybersecurity, financial fraud, and digital resource theft, and how you can protect yourself with smart habits and trusted tools.

What Is Piggybacking in Cybersecurity?

In cybersecurity, piggybacking refers to an attacker gaining unauthorized access, either physically or digitally by exploiting someone else’s legitimate access.

Here are some examples:

• Following an employee into a restricted area by pretending to have forgotten their badge.
• Using someone’s unlocked computer after they step away to hijack their session and steal sensitive information
• Connecting to your unprotected network (your household Wi-Fi network or mobile hotspot) and monitoring your activity.

Piggybacking can lead to exposure of sensitive data, deployment of malware, account takeovers or compromised systems and networks. For a business, it can turn into a major security breach and financial losses.

Who would’ve thought that holding the door for a stranger or forgetting to log off a public device could be so dangerous.

How to Prevent Cyber Piggybacking

• Don’t hold doors open in secure facilities.
• Use multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Enable auto-lock and session timeouts on all devices.
• Secure Wi-Fi networks with strong passwords and encryption.

What Is Financial Piggybacking?

In a financial setting, piggybacking refers to adding someone as an authorized user to a credit card account so they can benefit from the cardholder’s credit history.

Legitimate Use Case:

Let’s say you’re a parent and you add you child to your credit card account to help them build credit. That’s totally fine. The child doesn’t even need to use the card; just being listed as an authorized user can improve their credit score if your account is well-managed.

When Does Financial Piggybacking Turn Fraudulent?

This practice becomes illegal when used for credit manipulation or fraud.

For example:

• You pay to be added to accounts with good credit histories to artificially inflate your personal credit score.
• Fraudsters hijack credit card accounts and add themselves as authorized users to ride on the victim’s credit reputation.
• Synthetic identity thieves piggyback on real people’s accounts to build credibility for fake personas.

These tactics are often tied to identity theft, money laundering, or account takeover (ATO) fraud. Victims may not realize what’s happening until it’s too late.

How to Protect Against Financial Piggybacking

• Monitor your credit reports for unusual activity.
• Use alerts for account changes or new authorized users.
• Secure accounts with MFA and fraud monitoring tools.

Bonus: Piggybacking in Cryptojacking

Another form of piggybacking is cryptojacking, where attackers hijack your device’s processing power to mine cryptocurrency.

Read more:
 Cryptojacking Explained: Everything You Need to Know About Silent Digital Robberies

Bitdefender Solutions: Stop Piggybacking at Every Level

Bitdefender provides a full stack of security solutions to block piggybacking tactics—before they reach you.

• Digital Identity Protection
  Know if your personal information is exposed, who’s using it, and where. Get real-time alerts and identity monitoring across the web.
•  Identity Theft Protection (US only)
  Includes credit monitoring, fraud alerts, lost wallet assistance, and even insurance for stolen funds and recovery.
• Cryptomining Protection
  Bitdefender’s advanced threat detection can identify and block cryptojacking scripts, malicious downloads, and suspicious CPU usage before they hijack your devices.
• Device, network, and privacy protection
  From malware to phishing and unauthorized access, Bitdefender keeps your digital life locked down, without slowing you down.

FAQs: Piggybacking in Security, Finance, and Cryptomining

Is piggybacking illegal?

Yes, in most contexts. Unauthorized physical access, digital access, and credit abuse are all punishable under cybersecurity and fraud laws.

Can piggybacking hurt my credit score?

Definitely. If someone is added to your credit accounts and racks up debt or opens accounts in your name, your credit rating could suffer.

How can I detect cryptojacking?

Watch for unusually high CPU usage, system slowdowns, and overheating. A security solution like Bitdefender can detect and block cryptomining behavior automatically.

Is tailgating the same as piggybacking?

They’re similar, but tailgating typically means following someone in without their knowledge, while piggybacking involves tricking or manipulating the victim.