FaceTime Bug Allows Callers to Hear and Watch you Before Picking Up the Call

A critical FaceTime Bug allows you to call anyone with Facetime and start to hear the audio from the recipient phone before they answer or reject the incoming call.

The bug poses a serious privacy issue, that allows anyone to secretly listen to your conversation without user consent.

Facetime developed by Apple Inc and the app supported iOS mobile devices and Macintosh computers that run Mac OS X 10.6.6 and later.

The vulnerability can be abused by anyone to trigger an audio call and if the person pressed power down button from their iOS lock screen, then they will start broadcasting both the audio an video.

9to5Mac reported the FaceTime bug and they are able to reproduce the bug with an iPhone X calling an iPhone XR and the bug likely to affect all the iOS devices running 12.1 or later.

How to Reproduce the FaceTime Bug

  • Start a FaceTime Video call with an iPhone contact.
  • Whilst the call is dialling, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap Add Person.
  • Add your own phone number in the Add Person screen.
  • You will then start a group FaceTime call including yourself and the audio of the person you originally called, even if they haven’t accepted the call yet.

The bug has been reported to Apple, and the Apple to address the issue with the software update later this week.

For now you can turn off FaceTime with iPhone or iPad

  • Open the application from setings
  • Scroll down and select facetime
  • Switch off the feature

To turn off in Mac

  • Open the FaceTime app on your Mac
  • Click “FaceTime” in the Menu bar
  • Click “Turn off FaceTime”

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Gurubaran

Gurubaran is a co-founder of Cyber Security News and GBHackers On Security. He has 10+ years of experience as a Security Consultant, Editor, and Analyst in cybersecurity, technology, and communications.

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