# CVE-2016-3996: Samsung KNOX information disclosure in ClipboardDataMgr

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2016-3996-samsung-knox-information-disclosure-in-clipboarddatamgr  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2017-01-27. Updated: 2026-05-13  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2016-3996 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2017-01-27

Samsung KNOX, a security platform for mobile devices, contains a flaw in how it manages clipboard data. This vulnerability allows a malicious application installed on the device to access and read sensitive information copied to the clipboard within the secure KNOX container. This could lead to the theft of passwords, personal messages, or corporate data that a user has copied while using protected apps.

Technologies: [Samsung Knox](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/knox). Vendors: [Samsung](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/samsung).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2016-3996 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2016-3996 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2016-3996?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 27 January 2017.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Samsung Knox 1.0.0, 2.3.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2016-3996?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2016-3996 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in an operating system.

**Am I affected by CVE-2016-3996?** Check whether you run Samsung Knox at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the ClipboardDataMgr component of Samsung KNOX versions 1.0.0 and 2.3.0. The component fails to adequately validate the identity or authorization of the calling process when requests are made to access clipboard content. A local attacker can exploit this by tricking a user into installing a crafted application that programmatically queries the ClipboardDataMgr. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to bypass the isolation boundaries of the KNOX container to retrieve sensitive data stored in the clipboard.

## Affected products

- Samsung KNOX 1.0.0, 2.3.0

## Timeline

- 2016-04-15: disclosed: Initial public disclosure via Packet Storm Security
- 2017-01-27: advisory: NVD publication date

## References

- [http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/136710/KNOX-2.3-Clipboard-Data-Disclosure.html](http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/136710/KNOX-2.3-Clipboard-Data-Disclosure.html)
- [http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/538113/100/0/threaded](http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/538113/100/0/threaded)

## Related threats

- [Samsung KNOX shared certificate man-in-the-middle vulnerability](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2016-1920-samsung-knox-shared-certificate-man-in-the-middle-vulnerability)
- [Samsung KNOX weak eCryptFS key generation in KNOX 1.0](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2016-1919-samsung-knox-weak-ecryptfs-key-generation-in-knox-1-0)