Cyber criminals can use iPhone apps to secretly turn on your front or back camera at any time, a security expert has warned, Daily Mail reported.
Google engineer Felix Krause was able to build an app that silently takes a picture of its user every second and then uploads them to the Internet.
He said the issues is a "privacy loophole that can be abused by iOS apps. "
The only safe way to protect yourself from the hack is using camera covers, which can be bought online, though a simple sticky note will suffice.
You can also revoke camera access for all apps and always use the built-in camera app to avoid being caught out.
When an app wants to access your camera, for instance to take a profile photo during set-up, it must first ask for permission.
Once granted, this permission can only be revoked via the settings menu.
Mr Krausse, based in Vienna, Austria, said that once an app is opened, it can take photos and video of the user via either camera at any time.
The iPhone gives no indication that the camera is being used or that the photos are being uploaded to the internet.
"iOS users often grant camera access to an app soon after they download it," he wrote in a blog post.
"These apps, like a messaging app or any news-feed-based app, can easily track the users face, take pictures, or live stream the front and back camera, without the user’s consent."
