Apple's Hide My Email feature has been found wanting in a significant security flaw. Researchers have exposed that the tool is not as anonymous as advertised, with real email addresses potentially being revealed.

The bug was discovered by Tyler Murphy of 404 Media and has reportedly affected all tested Hide My Email addresses. Apple was alerted to the issue over a year ago but has yet to address it.

‘Publicly accessible people-search sites make it easy to link an email address to other personal details, so people relying on Hide My Email for safety may be at risk,’ said Murphy, co-founder of EasyOptOuts. The vulnerability remains undisclosed out of fear that hackers might exploit it.

The revelation adds to a growing list of privacy concerns surrounding Apple's products and services. In 2022, iPhone apps were found to send analytics data despite the privacy settings being on. Last year, another feature was deemed useless for anonymizing Wi-Fi connections.

Apple’s reputation as a privacy advocate could take a hit if it fails to rectify this issue soon. The tech giant must learn that even its most vaunted features are not immune to bugs and vulnerabilities.