14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s iPhones are generally considered secure devices, and the Cupertino-based tech giant doesn’t miss a single occasion to emphasize how protected its users are all the time.
But according to a Google employee, that’s not entirely true, as the iPhone camera can be used to spy on anyone by simply hijacking the apps that are provided with camera access.
Felix Krause published a detailed blog post and a demonstration video to reveal how the whole attack works, explaining that hackers not only could access front and rear cameras, but they can also take photos and even record you when the hijacked app is running on the screen.
Additionally, hackers can use the bug to live stream the iPhone camera to the Internet and even run more advanced features to detect the mood of the user, figure out if they are alone in front of the camera, or run face recognition software.
How Apple can fix the issue
There’s no warning displayed to the user or any indicator that could let them know they’re being recorded, and this is where the Google employee believes Apple needs to focus for security updates.
An indicator that could be displayed when the camera is activated, similar to the one used for location, could help users be aware of camera activity. At the same time, Krause says Apple could make camera permissions temporary, which would basically reset app access after a certain period of time.
The Google expert says Apple has already been notified about the bug and explains in his in-depth analysis that Cupertino could add a LED to the iPhone cameras to let users know of any suspicious activity.
In the meantime, users can protect themselves either by purchasing covers that block the camera when not in use or revoke camera access for all apps and stick with the built-in camera app.
Apple hasn’t released a statement on these findings, and the chances are that it never will, though we should expect a patch sometime in the next updates.
