diff --git a/app/error-handler.js b/app/error-handler.js
index e9ce68ec..a68fe922 100644
--- a/app/error-handler.js
+++ b/app/error-handler.js
@@ -50,6 +50,16 @@ function handleError(event, err) {
 
         document.getElementById('noVNC_fallback_error')
             .classList.add("noVNC_open");
+
+        // Remove focus from the currently focused element in order to
+        // prevent keyboard interaction from continuing
+        document.activeElement.blur();
+
+        // Don't let any element be focusable when showing the error
+        let keyboardFocusable = 'a[href], button, input, textarea, select, details, [tabindex]';
+        document.querySelectorAll(keyboardFocusable).forEach((elem) => {
+            elem.setAttribute("tabindex", "-1");
+        });
     } catch (exc) {
         document.write("noVNC encountered an error.");
     }
diff --git a/app/styles/base.css b/app/styles/base.css
index b7840c50..59fd47ba 100644
--- a/app/styles/base.css
+++ b/app/styles/base.css
@@ -287,6 +287,10 @@ select:active {
 #noVNC_fallback_error {
   z-index: 1000;
   visibility: hidden;
+  /* Put a white background in front of everything but the error,
+     and don't let mouse events pass through */
+  background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8);
+  pointer-events: all;
 }
 #noVNC_fallback_error.noVNC_open {
   visibility: visible;