Apple FaceTime bug lets you listen in on people you call, (trunc)

Cnbc ^ | 28 Jan 2019 | Todd Hasselton

[for-q-clinton]

A bug in FaceTime lets you listen in to the audio if you try to call someone -- even if they don't pick up.

You first video call someone then try to add yourself to the group call.

The FaceTime bug seems to be a huge privacy problem.

[for-q-clinton]

This is huge and needs attention for people to be safe. Turn off face time now. A patch will be out later this week.

Is breaking so that it gets noticed by everyone. If you don't do this anytime with FaceTime can remotely listen to your phone.

[for-q-clinton]

Anyone not anytime

[Yaelle]

I just read this and it is indeed HUGE.

Sounds like you don’t have to accept or want the face time call to be spied on. Ghastly. Just ghastly.

[Yaelle]

Settings - FaceTime - off

[Jane Long]

When does it shut off? Ever? :-)

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Ping SwordMaker

[for-q-clinton]

Swordmaker. Please update us. I know I bash apple a bit but this sounds truly awful. Any insight? I have friends me family that have iPhones and I want to help protect them.

[windcliff]

Ping

[Larry Lucido]

Hmmmm. "You know, I could hear you on the other line."

[Yaelle]

How do you do it so fast?!

[Born to Conserve]

A couple decades ago, the Polycom videoconferencing codecs that had IP connections could be used to see and hear their room even when not in a call, and “asleep”. A lot of board rooms had these machines...

[LegendHasIt]

That’s not a bug......

.
It’s a Feature.

Just that the peasants are not supposed to find out about it.

Only the NSA, CIA and FBI are supposed to know about it.

[BulletBobCo]

My son called me and ran a test on my phone. It’s a fact.

[Larry Lucido]

Having nothing better to do at midnight helps. :-)

[Notthereyet]

Um, I’m guessing I don’t have that app or program because I don’t even know what it is.

What is it, anyway??

[minnesota_bound]

A co-worker has 8 Alexa devices in her home...
She found out a friend who had a Alexa could still hear her thru the device after they had hung up on their call using Alexa.

[Swordmaker]

yes, there appears to be a FaceTime bug that compromises privacy of a called person until they either accept or decline the call, either action terminates the breach. The steps to invoke the exploit, are a bit obscure though and unintuitive, requiring the now turned-off group-FaceTime (until Apple gets the bug fixed). Essentially it works by calling someone on FaceTime who doesn’t answer right away, you then initiate adding another FaceTime call to the group but put your OWN NUMBER you’re calling from in the group, which apparently causes a glitch at the cloud Group-FaceTime server, connecting the other unanswered first number on which you can now listen in (or watch if the video feed is enabled). However, if that callee has accepted or declined, it won’t work. . . and you have only the few seconds between calling the first number and getting a ring with no answer to initiate the dummy call to your own number. It doesn’t strike me as though anyone could use this for surreptitious listening to anyone as it loudly announces itself that a connection to FaceTime wants the callee’s attention. . . and currently won’t work due to Apple shutting down the Group FaceTime server until they’ve got the vulnerability fixed — PING

Thanks to forQClinton for posting this.

Apple Group FaceTime Exploit Now Closed Pending Fix Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[Yaelle]

Other than sleep, I hear ya!

[Swordmaker]

A co-worker has 8 Alexa devices in her home... She found out a friend who had a Alexa could still hear her thru the device after they had hung up on their call using Alexa.

Even worse, some friends of ours in Las Vegas with an Alexa device were awakened in the middle of the night to Alexa reciting a conversation between two people and then a child. It took about three minutes to realize they were listening to a living room conversation of a couple and their child whom they knew who lived in San Jose, California, discussing what movie they were going to watch next. . . Live. The acquaintances could not hear my friends and Alexa would not stop until they pulled the power supply.

That week, numerous Alexa owners reported getting such snippets of conversations, among more erotic sounds, some from people they didn’t recognize, most though from friends in their address books. That bug got squashed really quickly!

[Yaelle]

I don’t want any Alexas in my home. Concerned now about the Apple devices. Sheesh.