iPhone manufacturer, Apple, has released a software fix for its spying FaceTime bug, preventing users from hearing [or viewing] a recipient before the call is picked up.
As previously reported, the bug allowed users to eavesdrop on FaceTime recipients, with Buzzfeed News finding users could also be seen via the front ‘selfie’ camera.
Prior to this week’s update – OS 12.1.4 and macOS Mojave 10.14 – Apple’s System Status page marked the affected server running Group FaceTime as “temporary unavailable”.
The iPhone manufacturer temporarily disabled its Group FaceTime feature, pending a software fix.
— nic nguyen (@itsnicolenguyen) January 29, 2019
The investigation was prompted by 14-year old Arizona resident, Grant Thompson, who claims he and his mother had unsuccessfully attempted to inform the tech giant for over a week.
As a reward for flagging the software bug, Apple has reportedly contributed to Mr Thompson’s college fund, coupled with an undisclosed financial bounty for his family.
“In addition to addressing the bug that was reported, our team conducted a thorough security audit of the FaceTime service and made additional updates to both the FaceTime app and server to improve security,” states Apple in a published statement.
Coming at inopportune time, the bug follows Apple CEO Tim Cook’s continued criticism of Facebook and Google, asserting privacy is a “fundamental human right.”
Apple affirms it’s committed to improving the way it handles software updates.
