[anon(2729369)]

I could kind of understand why with previous OS, they didn't want to implement new email/communication technologies, especially because of the dependency with BIS/BES, but today, with QNX, there is simply no excuse for BlackBerry to not include common consumer security features such as OpenVPN, S/MIME and PGP.
So why is BlackBerry so behind when it comes to protecting the online privacy of consumers, especially if they want to make their phones the centre of everything?

[johnnyuk]

I could kind of understand why with previous OS, they didn't want to implement new email/communication technologies, especially because of the dependency with BIS/BES, but today, with QNX, there is simply no excuse for BlackBerry to not include common consumer security features such as OpenVPN, S/MIME and PGP.
So why is BlackBerry so behind when it comes to protecting the online privacy of consumers, especially if they want to make their phones the centre of everything?

BlackBerry have never really pushed security features as a selling point to consumers but you're right it wouldn't hurt to. They actually do it erroneously every time they talk about Balance in a consumer advert, it's technology the consumer won't be able to use unless they BYOD with their employer so the phone is activated on BES10 in a place of work.

I guess the missing security functionality from a consumer point of view would come down to the same reason as most of the functionality viewed as missing or left out after OS 7. They had to write an OS from scratch in a finite amount if time without the resources of Apple, Microsoft or Google so some features didn't make it to the early versions of BB10. Some may never make it I suppose if the effort to implement them is not deemed to be worth it as it won't be a strong enough driver for sales.

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[dbmalloy]

You need to also remember that BB when first released was a business class device... the emphasis was on business security and the consumer market was by and large ignored... they marketed to it but never made the phones consumer oriented... some of that thinking has spilled over in tot he new models.... if you look at survey after survey the majority of consumers simply do not care about security.... most are interested in what apps... hardware is current and "in"..... you can be sure as OS10 was developed BB took notice of it.... business has always had security in mind as it costs them money..... Even Knox and Safe on Sammy ignores the consumer and is marketed to businesses... such is the way of the world today... unless you loose something due to a security issue.. the consumer market is "out of sight... out of mind".....

[trsbbs]

BlackBerry have never really pushed security features as a selling point to consumers but you're right it wouldn't hurt to.

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What? Hugh? What planet are you from?

That pretty much all RIM was about. That and battery life.

Wow.

Tim



Posted with a BlackBerry Z10

[johnnyuk]

What? Hugh? What planet are you from?

That pretty much all RIM was about. That and battery life.

Wow.

Tim



Posted with a BlackBerry Z10

Well not in any UK advertising aimed at consumers I've ever seen in the last 10 years. But you're right what I said was wrong globally, they obviously did in other countries as that's the legacy image BlackBerry has globally; that they preached about security to consumers but consumers couldn't care less, and RIM didn't have any other unique selling points left after that one was neutralised.

It obviously worked in countries with oppressive regimes though where BBM is the only way to communicate without the government spying on you, there are countries where it's banned because of that.

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[johnnyuk]

[QUOTE=dbmalloy;8428425] If you look at survey after survey the majority of consumers simply do not care about security....[/QOUTE]

Yep, the average consumer doesn't care about security....until they lose their phone or have it stolen and realise what's on it. At least there are Find My Phone type apps out there and things like BlackBerry Protect which is a good start but I bet interest in them is miniscule in the consumer sector.

One of my roles at work (government) is to educate staff on the importance of security on their work computers and mobile devices. Most are so used to using the same technology in their personal lives without a care in the world to security that their naivety and blas attitude carries across in to the workplace. Many are stupefied by the concept that sensitive data needs to be protected from those who would use it illegally or otherwise benefit from it. Frightening at times.

The looks on people's faces a few years ago when they'd bring their fledgling iPhones and Android devices in to work and ask to have their work email on it only to be told that they can't because it's not secure enough. "But I can put a password on it!" they'd cry, "It needs to go much deeper than that. There's a certification scheme and your phone doesn't meet the grade." would be the reply met with a blank face.

All changing now though with iOS and Android finally plugging the security gaps and gradually getting certification up to certain sensitivity levels. It's full steam ahead to BES10 and BYOD for us. BlackBerry were so on the money with incorporating cross platform MDM in to BES10 for security sensitive work places, they actually saw something coming for once. Can't wait to try out Balance on iOS and Android.



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[anon(2729369)]

Interesting posts.
But even if, let's say, consumers aren't interested in protecting their wifi access at airports or don't need to make sure an email sender is who he says he is, there are plenty of SMEs for which BES is out of reach. The only solutions these businesses have is to use laptops and iOS and Android based devices. It seems to me that it is a pretty large market to ignore.

And regarding the OS to be "too young", OpenVPN has been available for QNX for years. People have asked for it on BB's tracker years ago (universities are especially interested), but BB has ignored their requests so far and has instead ported the cryptic settings of the old OS and only supports a couple of VPN technologies.

[johnnyuk]

Interesting posts.
But even if, let's say, consumers aren't interested in protecting their wifi access at airports or don't need to make sure an email sender is who he says he is, there are plenty of SMEs for which BES is out of reach. The only solutions these businesses have is to use laptops and iOS and Android based devices. It seems to me that it is a pretty large market to ignore.

For legacy devices BES Express was a totally free solution for small to medium business, but it did still need an in house mail server. They haven't made an equivalent for BES10 and are getting criticism for that from businesses that have relied on it for years. BlackBerry now wants their money for device CALs if they want to use BB10 phones on BES10.

BlackBerry Business Cloud Services gave BES integration in the externally hosted MS Office 365 so your Blackberrys would have your externally hosted Exchange accounts activated against them on an externally hosted BES, but I think MS have dropped support for that for new customers now (?!)

For BlackBerry 10 for small to medium business where there's no internal mail server and no requirement for enforced levels of security BlackBerry are just relying on the Active Sync, IMAP and POP3 functionality just as iOS and Android would have to. You don't need BES10 to get email working on a BB10 phone but it leaves a lot to be desired security wise. You can do some very basic Mobile Device Management with BlackBerry Protect.

And regarding the OS to be "too young", OpenVPN has been available for QNX for years. People have asked for it on BB's tracker years ago (universities are especially interested), but BB has ignored their requests so far and has instead ported the cryptic settings of the old OS and only supports a couple of VPN technologies.

There must be something keeping it off or low on the priority list then. One reason might be that BES has always had its own rough equivalent of a VPN built in through the Mobile Data Service tunnel that connects a BlackBerry on the BES to other servers on the internal network. You can access shares on file servers, internal websites, connect apps to your internal databases, there's an RDP app for BB10 that can now use the MDS tunnel to connect and login to internal Windows servers.

Enterprises have always had that functionality built in with BES. The built in support for Cisco VPNs in BB10 works with our Cisco VPN but I don't need it as the Work space on my Z10 allows me to connect to everything internal I need already.

I know that's no help to small to medium businesses or consumers who don't have the infrastructure or cash for BES10 but it might explain why BlackBerry don't see OpenVPN as a priority. I'm not familiar enough with OpenVPN, maybe it's due to something else. BlackBerry are big on security, maybe it's not secure enough? It's probably not that, I'll go read about it.




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[anon(2729369)]

...BlackBerry are just relying on the Active Sync, IMAP and POP3 functionality just as iOS and Android would have to. You don't need BES10 to get email working on a BB10 phone but it leaves a lot to be desired security wise...

And that's exactly where the problem lies. It's easy to set up S/MIME for a few co-workers on the desktop, but it needs to be supported on the mobile devices as well. iOS supports it out of the box and Android relies on 3rd party apps, but BB10 offers no support for a specification that has been around for close to 15 years. It used to work on OS 7.x, but only with BES... again.

And regarding VPNs, BB has always supported a few VPNs standards for network connections outside of BES, but the solutions are mainly linked to some hardware solutions and have never evolved. I can kind of understand why they never supported PPTP (weak security, although their competitors do and it's useful for media streaming per example), but I don't get the lack of OpenVPN. It's very secure and available for every server platform, in routers, on iOS, Android, etc.

[johnnyuk]

And that's exactly where the problem lies. It's easy to set up S/MIME for a few co-workers on the desktop, but it needs to be supported on the mobile devices as well. iOS supports it out of the box and Android relies on 3rd party apps, but BB10 offers no support for a specification that has been around for close to 15 years. It used to work on OS 7.x, but only with BES... again.

Ah, I knew S/MIME had been in BBOS for several years but I'd never had case to use it so didn't know it was a BES only feature.

So you had or have BES 5.x in your workplace?

Was it just that you could only configure S/MIME on BBOS phones from a BES rather than the phones themselves?

BlackBerry want your device CAL cash nowadays, they may have dropped S/MIME from BB10 to try to force small businesses on to BES10 compatible infrastructure for secure email. Could backfire. Their refocus on big fish Enterprise is going to lose them customers somewhere where they used to pay attention.



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