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posted by janrinok on Tuesday January 29 2019, @01:02PM   Printer-friendly
from the see-hear dept.

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Major iPhone FaceTime bug lets you hear the audio of the person you are calling ... before they pick up

A significant bug has been discovered in FaceTime and is currently spreading virally over social media. The bug lets you call anyone with FaceTime, and immediately hear the audio coming from their phone — before the person on the other end has accepted or rejected the incoming call. Apple says the issue will be addressed in a software update "later this week". (Update: Apple has taken Group FaceTime offline in an attempt to address the issue in the interim).

Naturally, this poses a pretty privacy problem as you can essentially listen in on any iOS user, although it still rings like normal, so you can't be 100% covert about it. Nevertheless, there is no indication on the recipient's side that you could hear any of their audio.

Update: There's a second part to this which can expose video too ...


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by vux984 on Tuesday January 29 2019, @08:11PM

    by vux984 (5045) on Tuesday January 29 2019, @08:11PM (#793713)

    " But the vast majority of people have let such devices into their houses years ago in the guise of cellphones and then smartphones -- which not only contain microphones but also (multiple) cameras. With closed-source software and operating systems on them, how do you have any clue how much spying they might be doing on you?"

    The difference being that a smart speaker is useless garbage that exists solely to collect data and open a conduit to sell you shit while performing tasks so trivial as to be laughable - pause the music its playing through its shitty tinny speaker ... turn on a $50 light bulb...), while a smartphone actually provides a fantastic amount of utility and needs microphones and cameras to do deliver that utility. Being able to take a photo and sms it to someone else while talking to them on the phone is real value.

    Granted the risk profile of a cell phone is similar; but the at least for the risk you are getting something of value; while you can enact managable policies around it... meeting rooms that you leave your phone in a box outside, throwing your phone onto a charge in a drawer when you aren't using it, etc. But once you start putting smart speakers in your bedroom to turn the lights on you're done.

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