Actively exploited vulnerability

Apple iOS and macOS: vulnerability flaw under attack

CVE-2019-6223 · Apple iOS and macOS Group Facetime Vulnerability

Concerns everyone who uses it7.5 high

What is affected

Apple iOS and macOS is found on ordinary personal computers and phones, so this is not only a problem for companies. If you use it and have not updated since the fix was released, you are exposed.

Apple iOS and macOS Group FaceTime contains an unspecified vulnerability where the call initiator can cause the recipient's Apple device to answer unknowingly or without user interaction.

CISA's description

What an attacker can do

This is a vulnerability flaw. It lets an attacker misuse the product in a way its maker did not intend. CISA lists it because attackers are confirmed to be using it against real systems.

How it is reached
Over the internet or network
Access the attacker needs
No account needed
Does the victim have to do something?
No, works without the victim doing anything

What to do

  1. Update Apple iOS and macOS now. Open the update or "About" screen, install whatever is offered and restart the app or device, because the fix is not active until you do.
  2. Turn on automatic updates so the next fix arrives without you having to look for it.
  3. If your device is too old to receive this update, stop using the affected app for anything sensitive and plan a replacement.

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Action required by CISA for US federal agencies

How urgent is it

CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on November 3, 2021, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by May 3, 2022, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.

The EPSS model estimates a 2.6% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 85% of all scored vulnerabilities.

Its CVSS severity score is 7.5 out of 10 (high), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.

Technical description

A logic issue existed in the handling of Group FaceTime calls. The issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 12.1.4, macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Supplemental Update. The initiator of a Group FaceTime call may be able to cause the recipient to answer.

NIST National Vulnerability Database
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