FaceTime bug
The bug allows users to listen in on, or even watch, the person they are calling before that party has answered the call. It doesn’t even require any technical knowledge or esoteric hacking. As 9to5Mac showed, following a few simple steps to add the ringing call to a group chat is sufficient. Apple has taken the group-calling service offline until a software update can be provided. In the meantime, if you have an iPhone, it’s probably a good idea to turn off FaceTimeuntil a fix arrives.I can’t believe I’m saying that, but here we are.
It’s not just significant because a giant, wealthy tech company introduced a bad and seemingly careless bug in the core software of the most important kind of computer on Earth. It’s also notable because the exposure, which is real, substantiates and mainstreams long-running paranoid fears about the inherent untrustworthiness of computer hardware. You know those paranoiacs who told you to cover your laptop camera with tape so hackers couldn’t spy on you? They were right, in a way:
Your computer might be out to get you, even if it doesn’t mean to be.FaceTime is a proprietary videotelephony product developed by Apple Inc. FaceTime is available on supported iOS mobile devices and Macintosh computers that run Mac OS X 10.6.6 and later. FaceTime supports any iOS device with a forward-facing camera and any Macintosh computer equipped with a FaceTime Camera.
FaceTime Audio, an audio-only version, is available on any iOS device that supports iOS 7 or newer, and any Macintosh with a forward-facing camera running Mac OS X 10.9.2 and later. FaceTime is included for free in iOS and in macOS from Mac OS X Lion (10.7) onwards.
Apple bought the "FaceTime" name from FaceTime Communications, who changed their name to Actiance, Inc.[2]Soon after, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced FaceTime on June 7, 2010, in conjunction with the iPhone 4 in a keynote speech at the 2010 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.
FaceTime bug |
It’s not just significant because a giant, wealthy tech company introduced a bad and seemingly careless bug in the core software of the most important kind of computer on Earth. It’s also notable because the exposure, which is real, substantiates and mainstreams long-running paranoid fears about the inherent untrustworthiness of computer hardware. You know those paranoiacs who told you to cover your laptop camera with tape so hackers couldn’t spy on you? They were right, in a way:
FaceTime bug |
Your computer might be out to get you, even if it doesn’t mean to be.FaceTime is a proprietary videotelephony product developed by Apple Inc. FaceTime is available on supported iOS mobile devices and Macintosh computers that run Mac OS X 10.6.6 and later. FaceTime supports any iOS device with a forward-facing camera and any Macintosh computer equipped with a FaceTime Camera.
FaceTime bug |
FaceTime Audio, an audio-only version, is available on any iOS device that supports iOS 7 or newer, and any Macintosh with a forward-facing camera running Mac OS X 10.9.2 and later. FaceTime is included for free in iOS and in macOS from Mac OS X Lion (10.7) onwards.
FaceTime bug |
Apple bought the "FaceTime" name from FaceTime Communications, who changed their name to Actiance, Inc.[2]Soon after, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced FaceTime on June 7, 2010, in conjunction with the iPhone 4 in a keynote speech at the 2010 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.