A feature first made popular on the iPhone 4, Apple’s FaceTime, is running into problems on new Macs. News reports suggest a dangerous security flaw could cause headaches for consumers.
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Apple on Wednesday announced the public beta of FaceTime for Mac. The application lets Mac users video-call iPhone 4 and iPod touch users as well as other Macs. FaceTime for Mac automatically uses the consumer’s address-book contacts and works through the built-in camera and microphone on Mac notebooks, iMacs and Apple LED Cinema Displays. But few may want to use it after Thursday’s revelations.
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Stealing Your Password
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While many users are happy about having FaceTime on their Mac, we are a little anxious about some security glitches present in the current beta of the software. With a few clicks, others can make use of the user’s Apple ID and reset the password with ease, said MacNotes, an online magazine in Germany.
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Once you’ve logged into FaceTime, you can have a look at all the account settings of the used Apple ID, MacNotes said. Username, ID, place and birth date are shown as well as the security question and the answer to it — in plain text, without another password request. To reset the password to an Apple ID, all you need (is) the exact birth date and the answer to the security question — we tried that out for you, and it worked fine.
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A Poison Apple
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Since many people use the same security question and answer on multiple accounts, Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, said this type of access could allow hackers to gain access to Mac users’ bank accounts and other accounts.
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This is a serious security flaw, and I think it would lead to a recommendation of staying away from FaceTime on the Mac until this is fixed, Enderle said….