BOSTON — A glitch on the iPhone allowed users to FaceTime other users and see and hear what they're doing - even if they didn't answer the call.
The flaw was part of the new 'Group Chat' feature.
"It allows anybody to FaceTime you and they can make your phone answer without you actually answering," said security analyst Robert Siciliano.
Siciliano, a security analyst with Hotspot Shield, told Boston 25 News that it's a surprising new flaw in the normally secure Apple product.
"This is Apple and they don’t have security issues, so this is somewhat unprecedented, which is why it’s made so much news," Siciliano said.
iPhone users we spoke with were surprised by the issue.
"It’s kind of scary, to be honest, that people could be watching," said Francisco Sousa of East Boston.
“I never thought that was possible - on computers I heard of it happening but not on iPhones," Sousa said.
Christian Orlando of East Boston said, "Obviously it’s a little shocking and it’s a little invasive especially because if someone is calling you and you don’t pick up for a reason and they can hear what you’re saying."
Siciliano said the good news is that this wasn't a malicious attack on iPhone users.
"It’s a bug which means it’s a flaw in the software as opposed to a virus," Siciliano said.
Apple disabled the group chat function as it works to fix the bug.
“Apple will be rolling out a patch pretty quickly for this one because it’s a big deal so it’s really important that as soon as the patch comes in that you update your device," Siciliano said.
Although the group chat function was disabled by Apple, Siciliano recommends that you disable FaceTime entirely from your phone until the bug is fixed.
Cox Media Group
