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A lawyer is suing Apple over FaceTime bug, says it let someone listen in on sworn testimony
A Houston lawyer has filed a lawsuit against Apple over a security vulnerability that let people eavesdrop on iPhones using FaceTime.
The bug went viral on Monday evening after news outlets, including CNBC, verified that one person was able to place a FaceTime video call to another person and, using the exploit, was able to listen in or see video of the recipient of the call, even if they didn't answer. Attorney Larry Williams II says he heard about the bug on or before Sunday.
His lawsuit, filed Monday in Harris County, Texas, alleges that Apple "failed to exercise reasonable care" and that Apple "knew, or should have known, that its Product would cause unsolicited privacy breaches and eavesdropping." It alleged Apple did not adequately test its software and that Apple was "aware there was a high probability at least some consumers would suffer harm."
The suit says that Williams was "undergoing a private deposition with a client when this defective product breached allowed for the recording" of the conversation.
Williams claimed this caused "sustained permanent and continuous injuries, pain and suffering and emotional trauma that will continue into the future" and that Williams "lost ability to earn a living and will continued to be so in the future."
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Sunday February 03 2019, @11:16PM
There seems to be a severe case of didn't RTFA or RTFS here. This isn't about holding a confidential discussion through an app and being leaked. This is about holding a private face-to-face conversation, and someone initiating a video call, and the mere initiation of the call sends video and audio to the caller, without the callee even accepting the call.
This is about merely having an iPhone in the vicinity allowing anyone to eavesdrop on a conversation. I'm pretty sure Apple doesn't have a disclaimer saying "Anyone may be able to access the camera or microphone remotely at any time", and I doubt that would hold up in court anyway.
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