Major FaceTime Bug Allows Eavesdropping Before Call Acceptance
A severe FaceTime vulnerability lets callers listen to another person's audio and potentially view their video before the recipient accepts the call. Apple takes Group FaceTime offline temporarily while it prepares a software update to patch the issue.
A major privacy bug in Apple's FaceTime allows callers to hear audio from another person's iPhone before the recipient accepts or rejects the incoming call. The issue spreads rapidly across social media and affects devices running iOS 12.1 or later, posing a significant threat to user privacy as the person on the receiving end sees only a normal incoming call screen.
The exploit works by starting a FaceTime Video call, swiping up to add a person, and entering the caller's own phone number to create a group call. This simple process gives the caller access to the target's live microphone feed, and the vulnerability escalates if the recipient presses the power button to silence the ringing, which inadvertently transmits their live video feed as well.
Apple responds by taking the Group FaceTime feature offline entirely while it works on a permanent fix. Until the company releases a software update later this week, users remain completely vulnerable to this eavesdropping attack, leaving the disabling of FaceTime in device settings as the only effective defense against potential spies.