A ‘black eye’ for Apple: FaceTime bug shakes faith in iPhone security

Cybersecurity expert sees 'nightmare scenario' for company as app allows third parties to eavesdrop

It was a tin-foil hatted conspiracy theorist's wildest prognostication come true: the trusty and beloved iPhones that accompany users to work, to bed and even to the toilet suddenly transformed into an all-purpose spying device, transmitting audio and video to anyone with your phone number or email.

"This is the nightmare scenario," said Marcus Carey, a cybersecurity expert and author of Tribe of Hackers. "It does incite privacy fears because this is the same scenario that most people fear from the US government and other regimes."