What is the biggest cybersecurity risk when it comes to cybercriminals stealing your data? Go on, have a guess. According to the latest warning from security experts, it’s not credential theft, nor zero-day exploits, and phishing wouldn’t be right either. Nope, the security researchers at LayerX have warned it’s something far more insidious, and I’d wager something that you’ve already done today. Here’s why you should think twice before hitting Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V.
Why Copy And Paste Is Such A Cybersecurity Risk
When it comes to enterprise-based data security, the general rule of thumb, a new LayerX research report said, data loss protection was focused on the uploading and sharing of files. This is unsurprising, not least, Or Eshed, the LayerX CEO pointed out, “38% are uploading files to file-sharing platforms; 41% of files uploaded there contain Personally Identifiable Information or Payment Card Industry” data. It’s what Eshed said next, however, that surprised me and will likely surprise you: “Uploads are no longer the dominant risk, the clipboard is.”
The new research, part of the LayerX Browser Security Report for 2025, has concluded that the majority of sensitive data now leaves the enterprise by way of copy and paste. Oh, how the mighty Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V combo has fallen. Specifically, Eshed said, copy and paste into “unmanaged browser accounts, prompts, chat and instant messenger tools.”
The numbers are quite shocking, with LayerX finding that 77% of employees copy and paste data into AI tools, and 46% into file storage, followed by chat. Pasting into “business-critical apps carry outsized risks because of the nature of the data involved,” Eshed warned. That’s because fileless data-aware movements will, typically, bypass any file-centric protections that are in place.
Browser Extensions And Copy/Paste Are Cybersecurity Red Flags Now
The blame, or at least a substantial part of it, is laid firmly at the door of web browsers. Or, more precisely, web browser extensions. “99% of enterprise users have at least one extension installed, with more than half having high or critical permissions,” LayerX said, with 26% of them being sideloaded and therefore likely bypassing security controls put in place by browser vendors.
“These extensions operate with near-system-level access to cookies, session tokens, and tabs, allowing attackers to silently bypass traditional perimeter controls,” Eshed warned, with the end result being that far from just creating a visibility gap, it becomes a massive cybersecurity blind spot. So, to summarize, think twice before installing that browser extension, and think thrice before hitting copy and paste.
