On July 11 local time, according to the Wall Street Journal, apple found a security vulnerability in the walkie talkie app pre installed on the apple watch, which allows individuals to listen to other people's iPhone conversations without consent.
Walkie talkie is a software similar to walkie talkie function on Apple watch, which belongs to the pre installed software in Apple watch watchos 5 system.
Apple did not disclose the nature of the vulnerability, but said it temporarily disabled the application when solving the problem. Apple said it did not know that any users were damaged by this vulnerability.
Apple said it learned about the above problems through an online portal, through which users can report problems with Apple products. Apple said in a statement, 'we apologize to users for the inconvenience caused by this vulnerability and will fix the fault as soon as possible.'
At this stage, large technology companies are facing increasingly strict scrutiny of their data privacy practices and market forces. Company representatives including Apple will attend the antitrust hearing held in Washington, D.C. next week.
Apple announced in June that it would add new privacy features to the iPhone when it released IOS 13 this fall, including tools that allow users to log in to applications without disclosing personal information such as e-mail addresses. The system will also introduce a feature designed to make it easier for users to understand how applications track their location.
It should be noted that the vulnerability found this time is the second vulnerability found by apple this year. In January this year, apple fixed a vulnerability that allowed users to listen to conversations on the other side through FaceTime when calling another person, even if the other user did not answer the phone. Therefore, at that time, this vulnerability may be used to eavesdrop on the room of unattended devices or receive unauthorized video feedback from iPhone.
Although Apple eventually provided software fixes for the vulnerability, the New York prosecutor's office still launched an investigation into apple, focusing on whether Apple warned consumers and its slow response to the vulnerability. The vulnerability was reported by an Arizona teenager and his mother, but Apple took more than a week to reply.
Apple later apologized for the loophole and said it would compensate the teenager. But apple did not disclose the amount of compensation.