Samsung Alerts Galaxy Users on Password Security Measures Requirement
Samsung Galaxy users, buckle up! Your password security has been exposed, and there's no fix in sight. If you've been sloppy about copying and pasting your passwords, it's time to change your game.
The alarm was raised on Samsung's U.S. community forum this week, with one Galaxy owner sounding the alarm: "I copy passwords from my password manager all the time, and I know a lot of people do the same. How is it that Samsung's clipboard saves everything in plain text with no expiration? That's a huge security issue."
Many users seem to share this addiction to copying and pasting passwords instead of using autofill. "If someone steals your phone, or even if a friend or acquaintance uses it while it's unlocked, they can just scroll through your clipboard and see all your passwords? That's wild."
And with the growing emphasis on using long, unique passwords, this becomes an even bigger issue. It's not just password managers, either – many users store passwords in text documents or notes and then paste them across.
One Reddit user pointed out that Samsung has been ignoring this issue for ages, "
Unfortunately, clearing the clipboard manually is a Band-Aid solution, as Samsung hasn't added options to automatically delete clipboard contents after a certain period. This oversight poses a significant security risk, especially when dealing with sensitive data like passwords.
A moderator from Samsung confirmed the issue, "You've raised a valid concern regarding clipboard security… At this time, there's no built-in setting to auto-delete clipboard contents after a certain period, which can indeed pose a security risk in some situations."
Samsung acknowledged the need for a fix, "We agree that adding options such as auto-clear clipboard after X minutes/hours or excluding sensitive apps from clipboard history would be valuable enhancements…"
To protect yourself from this security risk, stop copying and pasting passwords and invest in a secure password manager like Keeper or Google Password Manager. These tools can securely store and manage your passwords, reducing the need for clipboard shortcuts.
Additionally, consider using Samsung's Secure Folder feature to protect sensitive applications and files from unauthorized access. Although this doesn't directly address clipboard security, it can help ensure your sensitive data remains protected[1][2].
Lastly, practice good password management habits by limiting clipboard usage, manually clearing clipboard contents regularly, and using biometric authentication to access apps without the need for passwords in plain text.
- The Samsung moderator confirmed, "You've raised a valid concern regarding clipboard security... At this time, there's no built-in setting to auto-delete clipboard contents after a certain period, which can indeed pose a security risk in some situations."
- A moderator suggested, "Two things you can do to mitigate this – Add the clipboard history edge panel which has a clear history button. You can then clear your history whenever you'd like fairly quickly…"
- With one Reddit user saying, "A different user offered a temporary solution: 'Two things you can do to mitigate this – Add the clipboard history edge panel which has a clear history button. You can then clear your history whenever you'd like fairly quickly…'", it seems that clearing the clipboard manually might be a solution until Samsung addresses this issue.
- To enhance the security of sensitive data like passwords, Samsung acknowledged the need for a fix, "We agree that adding options such as auto-clear clipboard after X minutes/hours or excluding sensitive apps from clipboard history would be valuable enhancements…"
