Red alert for Apple devices using FaceTime app!

If you are using FaceTime app on your favorite Apple device, you should immediately turn it OFF!  An unpatched privacy bug has been uncovered in Apple's popular video and audio call app FaceTime that could let someone hear or see you before you even pick up their call.

This bug is getting viral on social media platforms with multiple users complaining of this privacy issue that can turn any iPhone into a hidden spy device without the user's knowledge. The issue is more sort of a designing or logical flaw than a technical vulnerability that resides in the newly launched Group FaceTime feature.

How can you reproduce the bug?

Start a FaceTime Video call with any iPhone contact.

While your call is dialing, swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone screen and tap 'Add Person.'

You can add your own phone number in the 'Add Person' screen. This will start a group FaceTime call including yourself and the person you first called, whose audio you will be able to listen even if he/she hasn't accepted the call yet. It is also being reported that if the person you first called presses the volume down button or the power button to silence or dismiss the call (in case he/she is in a meeting or busy), his/her iPhone camera will also turn on.

This will broadcast the video from his/her iPhone, while his/her iPhone screen still displays the incoming call screen.

How to turn OFF FaceTime on your iPhone and Mac?

On your iPhone, just head on to Settings, scroll down to find 'FaceTime' icon and tap the toggle button to switch the feature off.

On Mac, open FaceTime app, click on FaceTime at the top left corner in the menu bar and then click 'Turn off FaceTime.’

When media reached out to Apple, the company responded by saying, "We are aware of this issue, and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week."

So, until the company releases a fix, the only workaround left for users is to disable the FaceTime video calling feature on their iPhone.

Gary Davis, Chief Consumer Security Evangelist at McAfee provides advisory on how consumers can safeguard their device and their data -

“New mobile risks are emerging all the time, and the latest FaceTime bug is a reminder that these days your smartphone is just as data rich as your computer. In this particular case, the real problem is a privacy problem - as the bug essentially allows iOS users to listen in on each other, with no indication that someone is listening in on you. As we adopt new technology into our everyday lives, it’s important to consider how these emerging technology trends could lead to greater privacy risks if we don’t take steps to protect our data. Be sure to disable FaceTime in iOS Settings to be sure no one is listening in on you.”