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FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

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Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#211
post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh damn, they can do it just like that? I thought FaceTime was a P2P thing... but it appears group FT requires Apple's servers?

Very few communication services are truly P2P; it's way more likely to have syncing issues and is virtually impossible without at least a handshake. Even Signal, which does have syncing issues due to being mostly P2P, requires a server for the initial handshake.

Especially on mobile, where you want to conserve battery life.

Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#213
post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iPhones already have a "mute" slider switch. When I first looked into iPhones (after years of Androids), my instant reaction upon seeing the slider switch was "Ah! FINALLY! I can feel at peace in the knowledge that software vulnerabilities are powerless to hack my camera or microphone!" Of course, stupidly, the slider doesn't "mute" my camera or microphone, but only my speaker. For Apple to modify this slider so that…

Frankly, I’m totaly in favour of hardware interrupt switches for the camera/mic - but I think I understand why it’s not likely to happen. First, to a lot of people it will look like admitting your thing is hackable, which makes it seem vulnerable. Second, now every time I accept a call I have to check this switch - sounds like a switch most people will leave in the on-position 100% of the time and then when it accide…

Also some smartass regularly find out way to disrespect this physical button for some reason in order to play theirs ads at full volume while muted in the most inconvenient settings. Like say taking a dump a the office and all coworkers present hearing an add for monster castle crusher of the hustle dragon birds candy.

TOTALY COUNTER PRODUCTIVE GUYS, FOR GOD SAKE STOP THAT SHIT!

Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#214
post #137

This sort of thing is why I'd prefer devices to come with hardware killswitches for mic, video, and various radio modules.

iPhones already have a "mute" slider switch. When I first looked into iPhones (after years of Androids), my instant reaction upon seeing the slider switch was "Ah! FINALLY! I can feel at peace in the knowledge that software vulnerabilities are powerless to hack my camera or microphone!" Of course, stupidly, the slider doesn't "mute" my camera or microphone, but only my speaker. For Apple to modify this slider so that…

I have my phone muted for most of the day, but I still want to be able to take pictures and use siri. It doesn’t even mute the speakers, only notifications. It sounds like you want to replace a switch that many people want to use, with one that few would.

Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It probably is, but when you are freaked out you want certainty.

Better remove the battery too. https://www.tomsguide.com/us/nsa-remotely-turn-on-phones,new...

Which you cannot do on iPhones.

Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#216
Is it just me, or does it seem Apple can't secure their services as well as Google?

There's always 'concerns' about Google spying, but no proof, meanwhile there's been major hacks involving Apple that are quickly forgotten because the CEO claims to be all about privacy.

Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#217
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If someone facetimes you and hangs up, that can happen. (I've noticed).

That is what happened with Signal(i was on iOS and the person i called was on android)

I think user ‘sixothree’ was stating that a picture would show after unlocking the phone, not after a call. I myself, have had it happen to me several times couple months ago and thought it was really creepy. It almost seemed as if someone was using the front camera without my knowledge. Thought it to be glitch or something at that time.

Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not Apple related, but you could log into any linux box using a specific few versions of grub2 by hitting backspace 28 times: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/ezpdqz/hack-into-...

Sometimes I feel like a relic using Slackware with lilo and SysV init, then I read about exploits like that and I smile.

I am afraid your system is _probably_ just bug ridden as any other, it is simply not popular enough to for people to find bugs.

Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#219
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sound horrifying. If I use a hacked/modified FaceTime client, does this mean I'll be able to hear and see the other end before they pick up, even after the fix?

Facetime calls are end to end encrypted so I doubt a modified client would work.

I think it is fair to say all applications must be written to assume the source code is opensource / can be modified / recompiled. A recompiled app should, in theory, only sacrifice the security of the person who did it, not the remote.

Re: FaceTime bug lets you hear audio of person you are calling before they pick up

#220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that's bizarre. If my team were responsible for a bug like this, we'd be fixing it before we went home.

The team might be able to fix it today, but the fix needs to go through testing and then be built alongside the rest of iOS (a multi-hour process). I wouldn’t be surprised if this takes two or three days to roll out.

You didn't even bring into consideration the app store approval process which can take 2-3 weeks and likely would reject this as a feature removal without user notification.
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