A security bug in Apple’s FaceTime lets people snoop on others
The tech giant has now disabled the Group FaceTime capability on its video-calling service in a bid to fix the problem.
The news: A report in 9to5 Mac revealed the existence of a security flaw in Apple’s popular video-calling service. The bug lets you call anyone with FaceTime and immediately receive audio from their phone before they’ve accepted or rejected the incoming call.
The security hole: Anyone starting a FaceTime video call with an iPhone contact could swipe up from the bottom of the screen while the call was dialing and tap “Add Person.” By adding their own phone number and then starting a group FaceTime call, they could hear audio from the other person’s phone before the call had been accepted or rejected. 9to5Mac claims it also found that if the person being called pressed the power button on their lock screen as a call came in, video from their phone would also be sent to the caller without the user’s knowledge.
Privacy nightmare: Apple prides itself on protecting users’ privacy, so this is deeply embarrassing for the company. Its move to disable Group FaceTime may solve the problem, but to be on the safe side, you should go to settings and disable FaceTime on your devices until Apple has issued a software update to fix the security issue.
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