iCloud iCloud for Windows Corrupting videos, downloading other people's photos!?!

[sleeping_ghost]

Submitted this to Apple through their feedback and security site, but haven't seen it talked about anywhere else. Was hoping I could see if someone else could replicate it. Here's my copy paste, this is a very strange bug to say the least. Hopefully someone here can replicate it.


Summary: iCloud for Windows is corrupting videos recorded from an iPhone 14 pro max resulting in black videos with scan lines. On rare occasions, it is inserting stills into videos from unknown sources, possibly other's iCloud accounts. I've been shown photos of other people's families I've never seen in my life, soccer games, and other random photos. Obviously, this is extremely concerning and does not exactly make me feel safe using iCloud.

Expected results: Original video I took should be downloaded and viewable

Actual results: The video is downloaded, but then immediately becomes corrupt, or shows a photo from an unknown source that I've never seen before.

Replication notes: I have been able to replicate this bug on 3 different PC's, 2 of which were running the latest version of Windows 11 pro, and the last running Windows 10 pro. I have tried on multiple other devices including an iPhone 11 Pro and an iPad. My old videos from my iPhone 13 Pro Max do not appear to be doing this. This bug only seems to appear when using the iPhone 14 pro max with HDR and HEVC enabled. When viewed from icloud.com, my Mac Pro, or another apple device, the video appears fine. It is not until it is downloaded using the iCloud sync tool that this occurs.

What's needed to replicate this bug:

- An iPhone 14 Pro Max with HDR and HEVC enabled in the camera settings
- A Windows PC running the latest updates to either windows 10 or 11
- The latest version of iCloud for PC downloaded from the Microsoft store

Steps to replicate bug:

1. Ensure HDR with HEVC is enabled on the iPhone 14 pro max, other settings do not seem to matter
2. Record a short video clip on the iPhone and wait for it to sync over to the Windows PC. I recorded at 1080p at 60fps
3. Right click the video in file explorer on the PC and select "Always keep on this device"
4. The video will download, once fully downloaded, it will either become corrupt, showing a black screen with scan lines, or it will show a still photo from an unknown source, possibly from someone else's iCloud account.

I've attached a video, as well as a screenshot of what one of the videos showed.

Edited for clarification

 

[adriancase]

My partner has *exactly* the same thing happening right now, but the videos were taken with an iPhone 13 Pro.

 

[sleeping_ghost]

My partner has *exactly* the same thing happening right now, but the videos were taken with an iPhone 13 Pro.

Makes me feel a bit better that at least one other person is experiencing this. Makes you feel a bit nuts when you’re telling people that photos of people you’ve never seen are showing up in your videos lol.

 

[Bento.Box]

I haven't experienced this issue, but when I tried out icloud storage for windows, severe file corruption occured in a way that the file metadata on NTFS was in a corrupt state.

This prevented windows from successfully creating a volume shadowcopy (for backup purposes) unless cleaned up manually every time.

Everything was documented and a bug opened at apple, however, they did not want to look into it.
They even gave such dangerous advice as to deactivate the antivirus scanner without informing about the potential consequences and also failed to sign an assumption of liabily.

I do not trust iCloud and I suggest not using on windows clients and also not for data that is important.

 

[sleeping_ghost]

I haven't experienced this issue, but when I tried out icloud storage for windows, severe file corruption occured in a way that the file metadata on NTFS was in a corrupt state.

This prevented windows from successfully creating a volume shadowcopy (for backup purposes) unless cleaned up manually every time.

Everything was documented and a bug opened at apple, however, they did not want to look into it.
They even gave such dangerous advice as to deactivate the antivirus scanner without informing about the potential consequences and also failed to sign an assumption of liabily.

I do not trust iCloud and I suggest not using on windows clients and also not for data that is important.

How long ago was that would you say?

 

[Sribeno]

I made a new account just to post about this. I am facing the exact same problem. This seems to be a recent issue as well as I have always kept the same videos synced and working. I recently re-installed iCloud for Windows from the Store and started syncing again and got the problem.

I am running Windows 11 Home on my PC and my phone is iPhone 13 Pro. Also for me all my videos seems to have this issue.

 

[sleeping_ghost]

I made a new account just to post about this. I am facing the exact same problem. This seems to be a recent issue as well as I have always kept the same videos synced and working. I recently re-installed iCloud for Windows from the Store and started syncing again and got the problem.

I am running Windows 11 Home on my PC and my phone is iPhone 13 Pro. Also for me all my videos seems to have this issue.

Are you also getting random photos you’ve never seen in your videos? Or is it just the black screen?

If you have the time, definitely submit this to the Apple feedback website. This seems like a pretty massive bug!

 

[vinegarshots]

Happening here, too. What the hell...I've got some picture of someone's daughter in PJs popping up in the middle of one of my corrupt videos. Not mine....

 

[sleeping_ghost]

Happening here, too. What the hell...I've got some picture of someone's daughter in PJs popping up in the middle of one of my corrupt videos. Not mine....

I got a random family, some kid, soccer game, rubble etc

 

[vinegarshots]

This seems like a pretty major security breech. Macrumors might want to investigate and post a story to their main page....

 

[sleeping_ghost]

This seems like a pretty major security breech. Macrumors might want to investigate and post a story to their main page....

I reported it to the apple security team and they told me it wasn't a "security concern"! Can you believe that?

How can we go about tagging the mods? It would be a good idea to get some visuals on this for sure.

 

[Bento.Box]

How long ago was that would you say?

End of 2020.

I never received a notification to my ticket that my issues were fixed though, so I suppose they are still current.

 

[zorinlynx]

If you ever want a good reason why you shouldn't trust the cloud, this is it.

Don't let anything go to iCloud Photos that would ruin your life if everyone saw it. If for example, you like to take intimate photos, use a non-Internet connected camera to do so, and keep them off the Internet.

 

[waigx]

I reported it to the apple security team and they told me it wasn't a "security concern"! Can you believe that?

The response is as anus-opening as the bug itself.

Very professional apple security team.

 

[Shinnier]

I have a guess. You actually download a video of another user and your end device cannot decrypt it (without account key). The still pic may be the preview image which is not encrypted.
… bad enough.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

I have a guess. You actually download a video of another user and your end device cannot decrypt it (without account key). The still pic may be the preview image which is not encrypted.
… bad enough.

This seems mildly plausible.

 

[lindros2]

I’ve only installed iCloud on Windows 11 for testing purposes, but I plan to pull it off in completely disconnected mode.

What a potential disaster for Apple.

 

[robinp]

I reported it to the apple security team and they told me it wasn't a "security concern"! Can you believe that?

How can we go about tagging the mods? It would be a good idea to get some visuals on this for sure.

You should write to Tim Cook with this attached.

His email address is pretty easy to find. They will take it seriously and you’ll get someone high up from Apple support dealing with it.

 

[AndroidSux]

The entire OP is fake; it does not show anything and the “Apple said it is nothing” post from the same user is the icing on the cake.

If this were real, the verge would be paying him to use the videos and photos and write and article about it. Yet he and another newly created account didn’t do anything with this information aside from making a random post about it?

There are no receipts and there is no proof of anything.

That VLC cannot play H265 HDR HEVC video files correctly is as expected from that garbage player

 

[wburgess]

The entire OP is fake; it does not show anything and the “Apple said it is nothing” post from the same user is the icing on the cake.

If this were real, the verge would be paying him to use the videos and photos and write and article about it. Yet he and another newly created account didn’t do anything with this information aside from making a random post about it?

There are no receipts and there is no proof of anything.

That VLC cannot play H265 HDR HEVC video files correctly is as expected from that garbage player

Username checks out...

 

[AndroidSux]

Username checks out...

Android being a garbage adware OS has nothing to do with the OP lying ?

 

[BrettApple]

At least it signs in for some of you. What kind of garbage error message is this Apple? It doesn’t even give so much as a hint as to what the problem is (and it’s not credentials, when entered incorrectly it will state incorrect). Very wonderful application we have here that doesn’t even sign in. Thought I’d try it after taking a few H.265 4K/60 HDR videos to see if the results are the same.

Shared this with our enterprise endpoint security team, we’ve got plenty (talking 38,000+) iOS devices that I see enrolled in our MDM and that’s not even all of them. Most are using iCloud at least at a basic 5GB level, and many pay just a little for that 50GB plan and I KNOW there are screenshots and photos of corporate documents in there. Not to mention everyone’s personal stuff. I’ve got upwards of 30,000 Photos and videos in iCloud photos myself after finally pulling the trigger in 2020. Perhaps I should rethink that decision.

 

[lindros2]

That VLC cannot play H265 HDR HEVC video files correctly is as expected from that garbage player

Against my better judgment, I just tested this on a couple (Windows 11) machines.

- I have VLC on my Mac - 3.0.10 - and it plays H.265 just fine.
- However, VLC on Windows 11 - cannot play H.265 (I'm not getting the black screen; rather, I'm getting a frozen image of the first frame, while the progress slider moves as normal).

 

[AndroidSux]

Against my better judgment, I just tested this on a couple (Windows 11) machines.

- I have VLC on my Mac - 3.0.10 - and it plays H.265 just fine.
- However, VLC on Windows 11 - cannot play H.265 (I'm not getting the black screen; rather, I'm getting a frozen image of the first frame, while the progress slider moves as normal).

Try playing 10bit video or have it render HDR correctly. It cannot and probably won’t ever be able to. 6 years in mind you, they had 6 years to get their s together

 

[MaxLt]

I’ve only installed iCloud on Windows 11 for testing purposes, but I plan to pull it off in completely disconnected mode.

What a potential disaster for Apple.

Not using iCloud on Windows does not mean you are safe and Windows users will not be able to see your photos. It's been reported that Windows client sees other people's photos, but that does not automatically mean that you need to be on Windows for your photos to be leaked.