Bugs are common in software. Sometimes they are relatively harmless, but sometimes they can be huge. A recent example would be Apple’s FaceTime bug where the caller can listen in on the person they’re calling while making a FaceTime call, and that person would not even need to pick up their device, scary isn’t it?Apple has since been hit with a lawsuit over the bug, and now in a letter addressed to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook (via AppleInsider), House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) are now demanding some answers with regards to customer privacy, the origins of the bug, and if there might be more bugs that have yet to be publicly disclosed.
The letter reads (in part), “We are deeply troubled by the recent press reports about how long it took for Apple to address a significant privacy violation identified by Grant Thompson, a 14-year-old in its Group FaceTime feature. As such, we are writing to better understand when Apple first learned of this security flaw, the extent to which the flaw has compromised consumers’ privacy, and whether there are other undisclosed bugs that currently exist and have not been addressed.”
Apple has since apologized for the bug and stated that they are working on a fix that should arrive this week. They have also thanked Grant Thompson, the teen who first discovered the bug.