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Threats / Apple / CVE-2019-6223
CVE-2019-6223 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-06-22

Apple iOS and macOS vulnerability

Apple iOS and macOS Group FaceTime vulnerability allows call initiators to cause recipient devices to answer without user interaction, enabling unauthorized call establishment.

Verdict

Today item — known-exploited.

A call initiator can exploit this vulnerability to establish FaceTime calls on recipient devices without explicit user consent or awareness. The vulnerability has been observed in active exploitation in the wild.

CISA KEV Yes · 2021-11-033EPSS 0.02629 (verify live)4
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Reported exploitation
2 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03).
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.02629 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Apple, iOS and macOS. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
NVD ↗Reported
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution not established

No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.

03

Why it matters

— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
I initiate a Group FaceTime call targeting a specific recipient device.
Business
Recipient's device is compromised without user knowledge, creating privacy and security exposure.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
I cause the recipient's device to answer the call automatically, bypassing normal user interaction requirements.
Business
Attacker gains unauthorized access to device microphone, camera, and real-time communications without user awareness or consent.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
I maintain an active call session to monitor or record the recipient's environment and communications.
Business
Sensitive personal, business, or location information is exposed to unauthorized parties, creating liability and reputational damage.
04

What to do

— defensible action
  • Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05

Coverage & confidence

— what we know, and what we don’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • 2 reported-exploitation source(s)
  • Catalogued by apple (CNA)
  • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
  • No finder/reporter credit recorded in the public CVE entry — the work behind this find is unattributed.
  • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by appleCNA
    Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.