Facetime phantom calls and calls that are not from who they say they are

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Facetime phantom calls and calls that are not from who they say they are

My wife has an iPhone 4 and twice in the last week Facetime calls that say they are coming from her mother have been originated by someone other than her mother. The second time this happened the stranger made an obscene gesture. Since Apple is routing the call over the Internet, and since the iPhone is obviously phoning home, it should be easy for Apple to know the source and destination but when my wife called the Apple tech seemed to just want to read a script instead of investigate this potentially serious breach of security. In addition to these two incidents there have been numerous others where her displays says her mother is calling via Facetime but yet her mother is not calling. Seeing as my wife Facetimes with her mother, with my children getting on the phone as well, I find this possible issue is worth more than a reset your settings on the phone reply. Has anybody else heard of or seen issues like this?

iPhone 4, iOS 4, Facetime

Posted on Oct 20, 2010 4:23 PM

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Answer 1

Kiwiphone4

Level 4

1,430 points

Oct 20, 2010 4:37 PM in response to jasonmbowen

I can't say I have had this problem, but I imagine it is possible.

Facetime relies on either your phones number, or an email address for ipods and Mac.
When you log in with an ipod it asks you for your email address,
but there is no verification.
You can't password protect your identity.

So it's possible to assume that someone is able to log their facetime client with your Mother in laws email address.
This is worrying stuff if it is possible.

The interesting thing is how they know your wife's facetime "address"

It could be that the facetime Mac App lets you see previous connections.
You should call Apple and tell them, and provide feedback as well.

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Answer 2

Oct 20, 2010 4:38 PM in response to jasonmbowen

It sounds like your wife's mother is having a security problem. Is she using FaceTime on an iPhone or iPod touch?

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Answer 3

jasonmbowen Author

Level 1

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Oct 20, 2010 8:11 PM in response to Kiwiphone4

This is iPhone to iPhone, so iPod or Mac is not part of the equation. Given that FaceTime takes place over the public Internet and that both phones are behind routers that are using NAT that allow no incoming connections, only established outgoing connections, a FaceTime server probably reaches out to the party being called via the cell network and then has the iPhone contact a central server to establish the FaceTime connection between the two phones. There has to be more authentication than a username and password. If I can login as anybody that I have the credentials for this will be abused.

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Answer 4

jasonmbowen Author

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Oct 20, 2010 8:17 PM in response to Matthew Smith

My Mother-In-Law has an iPhone 4. She happened to visit this last weekend, she lives 1500 miles away, and it happened one time when her phone was in her purse and in the same room as my wife and her phone. I'm going to really question Apple's security for FaceTime if all it takes is a an email address and possibly the password to hijack an account.

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Answer 5

Kiwiphone4

Level 4

1,430 points

Oct 20, 2010 8:19 PM in response to jasonmbowen

Hmmm, this sounds really bad if someone can fake the phone number.

Really call Apple, and keep us posted.

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Answer 6

jasonmbowen Author

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Oct 20, 2010 8:29 PM in response to Kiwiphone4

She had called and got the reset your settings script reply. Part of the reason that posted in here was to try to illicit a response from an Apple lurker.

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Answer 7

Nov 27, 2010 6:53 PM in response to jasonmbowen

This is wild, this just happened to us.

My husband and I both have iPhone 4's. I left my iPhone on my bed in a room by itself while my husband and I were downstairs in the Family Room together.

His phone starts ringing and it's a FaceTime from me, but I'm in front of him and my phone is upstairs.

Ok, so of course if this is simply an breach of our phone protocol - that concerns me of course. But to be honest, I'm relieved to know there's a reasonable explanation - because otherwise we would have to call 911 to do a more thorough search for intruders in our house.

But seriously, what's going on here. My husband and I want to disable Facetime altogether. Why have it if it won't work securely?

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Answer 8

Nov 27, 2010 10:01 PM in response to cflanagan17

The same issue just happened to my wife and me. What's gong on Apple ? I am thinking on changing our phones, this is a major security issue !!!

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Answer 9

Nov 28, 2010 1:11 AM in response to jasonmbowen

This just happened to my wife and me. The shows an incoming FaceTime call from me that does not appear in my outgoing calls list. Further, I was not in the vicinity of my phone when the call was supposedly made. I am calling Apple today.

I updated the software to 4.2 after the phone purchase this week.

Help, apple.

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Answer 10

jinx.pt

Level 1

40 points

Nov 28, 2010 3:03 AM in response to mchrunner

Same thing happened tonight between me and my girlfriend. Her iP4 started ringing with a FaceTime Call from me. I was standing next to her, and can only do FaceTime Calls through my macbook or iMac.

She also is using iOs 4.2.1
Anyone had any reply from apple yet?

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Answer 11

ligol

Level 1

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Nov 28, 2010 4:25 AM in response to jinx.pt

Me too ! 02:26 UK time last night my iP4 received a Facetime call from relative in the US using facetime beta on a Mac. Another friend of his also received a facetime call from him at the same time. His Mac was switched off at the time and he was out for dinner.
Seen a few other posts of something similar at pretty much exactly the same time last night. Coincidence ????

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Answer 12

Nov 28, 2010 12:28 PM in response to ligol

The same thing happened to me with my wife's iphone and a friends of mine the same time 04:26 local.
I was terrified when the phone rang that time with two kids sleeping next door, and my name on her iphone ask for a facetime call. In the morning we discuss that and we found nothing. Later this day my friend call me and asked me what happened last night who I was trying to call him at 4:26 also on his phone with facetime. Scary but then I remember that I tried afternoon a facetime call to him and also to my wife without a luck. Possibly they respond my call later. My phone also was in airport mode last night.

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Answer 13

jasonmbowen Author

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May 31, 2011 7:18 PM in response to jasonmbowen

It turns out that a friend had purchased an iPod Touch from Best Buy and returned it without clearing it out. So it appears Best Buy doesn't do any sort of check on returned products.

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