BlackBerry (BBRY) May Not be as Secure as Expected, Canadian Gov't Says
BlackBerry's (Nasdaq: BBRY) one key selling point may hold less muster moving forward.
In a mid-January memo, Public Safety Canada (PSC) was looking to dissuade government employees from sending PIN-to-PIN messages, which could be read by any BlackBerry user, anywhere in the world. PSC says it is the most vulnerable method of sending out a message on BlackBerry.
PSC stated, "Although PIN-to-PIN messages are encrypted, the key used is a global cryptographic ‘key’ that is common to every BlackBerry device all over the world...Any BlackBerry device can potentially decrypt all PIN-to-PIN messages sent by any other BlackBerry device."
The Financial Post today noted that about 66 percent of government employees in Canada prefer to use BlackBerry, while the other one-third opt for Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iOS or Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android-based devices.
BlackBerry has had its back against the wall with government contracts following delay after delay to the release of its BlackBerry 10 operating system. The delays have allowed competitors to improve security in their own operating systems, pitching them to governments and corporations in the meantime.
Shares of BlackBerry are down about one percent Wednesday.
In a mid-January memo, Public Safety Canada (PSC) was looking to dissuade government employees from sending PIN-to-PIN messages, which could be read by any BlackBerry user, anywhere in the world. PSC says it is the most vulnerable method of sending out a message on BlackBerry.
PSC stated, "Although PIN-to-PIN messages are encrypted, the key used is a global cryptographic ‘key’ that is common to every BlackBerry device all over the world...Any BlackBerry device can potentially decrypt all PIN-to-PIN messages sent by any other BlackBerry device."
The Financial Post today noted that about 66 percent of government employees in Canada prefer to use BlackBerry, while the other one-third opt for Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iOS or Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android-based devices.
BlackBerry has had its back against the wall with government contracts following delay after delay to the release of its BlackBerry 10 operating system. The delays have allowed competitors to improve security in their own operating systems, pitching them to governments and corporations in the meantime.
Shares of BlackBerry are down about one percent Wednesday.