Your Clipboard Can Leak More Than You Think

When you copy a password, an address, a private message, or a bank account number, that text sits in your clipboard until you copy something else. During that time, any app with clipboard access can read it silently in the background. On some systems, clipboard content even syncs across your devices.

Be mindful of what you copy. After pasting sensitive information, copy a random word or empty text to clear your clipboard. On iOS, you will see a banner when an app reads your clipboard — pay attention to those warnings. On Android and desktop, consider clipboard manager apps that auto-clear after a set time. Passwords from a password manager are especially sensitive — good managers auto-clear clipboard after 30 seconds for this reason.