All the proud iPhone owners over there, here is a small piece of news about your favorite gadget that could freak you up!
Your iPhone has a serious privacy concern that allows iOS app developers to take your pictures and record your live video (using both front and back camera) —all without any notification or your consent.
Yes, as disturbing and scary as it may sound, an Austrian developer and Google engineer, Felix Krause, has discovered this vulnerability in iOS apps that allow Apple’s iPhones and iPads to secretly record the users without their knowledge, thereby raising concern over Apple’s iOS 11 privacy settings.
According to Krause’s detailed blog post published on Wednesday, this alarming privacy concern in Apple’s mobile operating system lies in the way Apple has set up its permission system.
“iOS users often grant camera access to an app soon after they download it (e.g., to add an avatar or send a photo). These apps, like a messaging app or any news-feed-based app, can easily track the users face, take pictures, or live stream the front and back camera, without the user’s consent,” Krause explained in his blog post.
To explain the loophole, Krause created the watch.user concept app that requested access to his camera initially. Once Krause granted permission, the apps were able to access the front and back cameras and then take photos and record videos every second as long as the app was open in the foreground.
Watch the Video below:
In order to protect yourself from any hack, Krause offered a few solutions in his blog post. Read here to know.
Apple has claimed on many occasions that its iPhones are the most secure devices that users can own. Wonder what it would say about this security loophole.
