facetime

2 Articles

Marian Croak Is The MVP Of VoIP Adoption

July 7, 2020 by 23 Comments

If you’ve ever used FaceTime, Skype, own a Magic Jack, or have donated money after a disaster by sending a text message, then you have Marian Croak to thank. Her leadership and forward thinking changed how Ma Bell used its reach and made all of these things possible.

Marian Croak is a soft-spoken woman and a self-described non-talker, but her actions spoke loudly in support of Internet Protocol (IP) as the future of communication. Humans are always looking for the next best communication medium, the fastest path to understanding each other clearly. We are still making phone calls today, but voice has been joined by text and video as the next best thing to being there. All of it is riding on a versatile network strongly rooted in Marian’s work.

Continue reading “Marian Croak Is The MVP Of VoIP Adoption” →

What Happens When A Regular Person Finds A Huge Security Flaw?

January 29, 2019 by 38 Comments

The biggest news in the infosec world, besides the fact that balaclavas are becoming increasingly popular due to record-low temperatures across the United States, is that leet haxors can listen to you from your iPhone using FaceTime without you even answering the call. There are obvious security implications of this bug: phones should only turn on the microphone after you pick up a call. This effectively turns any iPhone running iOS 12.1 or later into a party line. In response Apple has taken group FaceTime offline in preparation of a software update later this week.

So, how does this FaceTime bug work? It’s actually surprisingly simple. First, start a FaceTime call with an iPhone contact. While the call is dialing, swipe up, and tap Add Person. Add your own phone number in the Add Person screen. This creates a group call with two instances of your iPhone, and the person you’re calling. You may now listen in to the audio of the person you originally called even though they haven’t chosen to pick up the call. Dumb? Yes. Insecure? Horribly. If your iPhone is ringing, the person on the other end could be listening in.

But this isn’t a story about how Apple failed yet again. This is a story about how this security flaw was found, and what a normal person can do if they ever find something like this.

Continue reading “What Happens When A Regular Person Finds A Huge Security Flaw?” →