Apple has released a crucial update to iOS in order to combat a serious eavesdropping bug discovered last week.
The bug allowed iOS users in the know to exploit an issue with Group FaceTime to hear audio from another device without that person’s consent. It would still ring the device as normal – so hardly a silent attack – but would essentially force the other person to answer. Apple shut off Group FaceTime within hours of the issue being discovered, and the service will remain out of action for all previous versions of iOS as a security measure.
So, if you wish to use Group FaceTime again you’ll need to update to iOS 12.1.4, which fixes the bug completely.
Reportedly, this update also fixes another critical zero-day vulnerability that has been kept under wraps until now, and as ever Apple has addressed some minor glitches and security bugs in addition to the headline-grabbing stuff. All in all, we’d say it’s a pretty good idea to download the latest update as soon as possible.
We’re still expecting a bigger update to drop in the next month or so, ahead of Apple’s expected reveal of iOS 13 later this year.
Remember that all iOS updates are free, and can be quickly and easily delivered over the air (that is, without plugging into a computer) from Settings > General > Software Update.