Transaction friction is any extra step that slows, interrupts, or scrutinizes a payment or transfer before it completes. Examples include added identity checks, step-up authentication, transfer delays, manual review, limits on new payees, and warnings that require the user to confirm the action. In cyber security, friction matters because fraud often depends on speed and pressure. If an attacker can push a victim to approve a transfer quickly, there is less time for reflection, detection, or intervention.
Defenders use transaction friction to make suspicious activity harder to complete and easier to spot. A bank or platform might delay an unusual transfer, require out-of-band verification, or flag a high-risk recipient for review. Attackers try to reduce that friction by impersonating trusted contacts, creating urgency, or steering victims around security prompts. Well-designed friction does not stop normal use; it adds enough resistance to break the attacker’s workflow.