TikTok Caught Spying On iPhone By iOS 14, Sees Everything Copied On Clipboard

Apple is set to roll out its iOS 14 in fall this year and recent reports reveal that the new version of iOS fixes a huge security loophole. Apple has had a known issue that let several apps on iOS secretly access the clipboard on Apple devices. TikTok is one of these apps.

Apple has now worked on fixing this issue and in the process, caught TikTok red handed stealing data from the iOS clipboard.

For those unaware, Apple has a universal clipboard functionality that lets connected Apple devices read from each other¡¯s clipboard. That means anything copied on a macbook can be read by a connected iPhone and vice-versa.

TikTok, and other apps, have been blamed to steal information from this clipboard. A report by Forbes mentions the extent of the data theft - ¡°if TikTok is active on your phone while you work, the app can basically read anything and everything you copy on another device: Passwords, work documents, sensitive emails, financial information. Anything.¡±

Apple has now fixed this issue in the new version of the iOS. A new clipboard warning is being displayed in the beta version of iOS 14 which is now being used by developers. The warning is flashed for TikTok as well.

Repeat Offender

(Representative Image: Reuters)

The clipboard issue with TikTok was uncovered earlier by Forbes. At the time, the company did not admit the malpractice and blamed it on an outdated library in their app. TikTok then assured Forbes that the issue was being fixed even though it was not theirs to fix.

The Chinese tech firm, however, has now been exposed by Apple¡¯s iOS 14 security update. The Forbes report mentions the app to have been caught ¡°red-handed, still doing something they shouldn¡¯t. Something they said was fixed.¡±

This time around, TikTok came up with a new ¡°excuse¡±, saying that the issue is triggered by ¡°a feature designed to identify repetitive, spammy behavior.¡±

As per security researchers cited in the report, there is no way to tell what TikTok might be doing with user data attained through the clipboard vulnerability.

iOS to the rescue

Okay so TikTok is grabbing the contents of my clipboard every 1-3 keystrokes. iOS 14 is snitching on it with the new paste notification pic.twitter.com/OSXP43t5SZ

¡ª Jeremy Burge (@jeremyburge) June 24, 2020

At first, even Apple dismissed the clipboard vulnerability as an issue. It has come up with a fix now, only after significant media coverage, for the security loophole.

The new OS will warn users whenever TikTok, or other apps found following the malpractice, read the content copied to the clipboard.

The new iOS will force TikTok to bring about the required change. It is thus recommended that all iPhone users should update to the latest version of TikTok as soon as it¡¯s released. ¡°and given it is actively reading your clipboard, you might want to bear that in mind while using the app ahead of that update¡± the report warns.