After TikTok is found, it might immediately stop reading data on the iOS clipboard. However, this does not mean that other application developers follow this example.
Security researcher Tommy Mysk told Ars Technica that 53 popular applications were identified at the end of March that could collect data on the iOS clipboard and exchange data. sensitive to other nearby devices with the same Apple ID.
This behavior is very clear in Fox News, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. You can also find it in games like Bejeweled, Fruit Ninja and PUBG Mobile. In addition, social networking applications such as Viber, Weibo and Zoosk as well as a number of assistance applications, including AccuWeather, DAZN and Overstock …, offer clip boards for “sniffing” on iOS.
After being discovered on iOS 14, several application developers announced that they would change their behavior, including TikTok, 10% Happier, and Hotel Tonight. They said they would reduce the use of the clipboard to read data on iOS. For example, Pixelmator claims to “see” data only when it is an image.
It would not be surprising to see more changes thanks to clipboard monitoring of iOS 14. Fortunately, most of the 53 apps listed are big names and often reliable. However, there are still many applications out of sight that can integrate this feature for a malicious purpose that few people predict. Therefore, we should avoid copying sensitive data such as passwords or account names on both iOS and Android if not necessary to avoid unfortunate leaks.