Apple disables Group FaceTime feature following widespread privacy bug

Shortly after it was discovered a widespread security flaw allows Group FaceTime users to listen in on conversations before a call has been answered, Apple has completely disabled the feature.

As it stands right now, Group FaceTime is “temporarily unavailable” on iOS and macOS.

Launching a previous Group FaceTime chat from the platform’s ‘Call History’ results in the call attempting to launch, not going through and not cancelling. Further, starting a new multi-person call results in a ‘temporarily unavailable’ message appearing.

The security flaw, which was first reported by Bloomberg and 9to5Mac, appears to only occur with Group FaceTime calls. MobileSyrup was able to independently confirm and replicate the flaw with an iPhone 8 Plus running iOS 12.1.2 and an iPhone X on iOS 12.1.3.

In order to replicate the security flaw, users need to launch a conference call, input someone’s phone number and then add the number of an additional contact. While waiting for the first person to pick up, if the second participant answers, the audio feed from the first contact is automatically turned on, allowing you to hear what their mic is picking up even if they don’t answer.

Apple says it will release an update later this week to fix the exploit. The bug is not present in the most recent public beta version of iOS 12.2.

In order to deactivate FaceTime on your iOS device, navigate to ‘Settings,’ then tap on ‘FaceTime’ and select ‘Off.’

The post Apple disables Group FaceTime feature following widespread privacy bug appeared first on MobileSyrup.

from MobileSyrup http://bit.ly/2CWO7UW