Owners of Apple Devices Like iPhones Advised to Turn Off FaceTime App Until Apple Issues a Patch

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Privacy, Cyber & AI Decoded Alert | 1 min read

Jan 29, 2019

Risk Management Question

How can you protect your privacy in light of a significant vulnerability recently discovered in Apple's FaceTime App?

The Issue

A significant vulnerability has been discovered in Apple's FaceTime App which allows a third party to remotely turn your iPhone, iPad or Mac into an eavesdropping device. In certain circumstances a hacker can remotely turn on your device's camera and broadcast a video from your device.

Here's a link to a short article which further explains this vulnerability: https://thehackernews.com/2019/01/apple-facetime-privacy-hack.html

Risk Management Solution

Immediately turn off or disable the app on any Apple device you own. To do so, go to "settings," scroll down to FaceTime (green icon with camera), and disable.

Screenshot of Apple settings

It can be a dangerous world—so keep your devices protected and think before you click.

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