BlackBerry is leaving Pakistan over demands for backdoor access

BlackBerry has announced it's formally shutting down shop in Pakistan over demands from the country's Telecommunications Authority that backdoor access be granted to the company's encrypted services. Back in July, local carriers were ordered to shut...

India’s government and BlackBerry reach an agreement, ready to teleport to 1984

India's government will soon be able to see almost everything you do on a BlackBerry

After nearly being banned in India in 2010, BlackBerry has finally reached an agreement with the Indian government regarding surveillance in the name of security. According to a leaked document from the country's Department of Telecommunications that was obtained by The Times of India, it'll soon be possible for the government to see who you're emailing, who you're BBMing, the read-states of your BBM messages and even which websites you're visiting (hello!). An unnamed BlackBerry spokesperson is emphasizing that this is all legal, adding that those who use BlackBerry Enterprise Server will not be monitored -- which makes for an eyebrow raising sales pitch. There's no official date as to when this system turns on, but the report says the required equipment is "ready for use."

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Source: The Times of India

BlackBerry says TIFF vulnerability exposes enterprise servers to malware

BlackBerry says TIFF vulnerability exposes enterprise servers to malware

BlackBerry has always prided itself on its top-notch security features, so it's a little worrying to see the company release a "high severity" advisory today warning of a potential exploit. According to the Waterloo-based operation:

Vulnerabilities exist in how the BlackBerry MDS Connection Service and the BlackBerry Messaging Agent process TIFF images for rendering on the BlackBerry smartphone.

Essentially, hackers could rig a TIFF file with malware and then trick a BlackBerry user into loading it via webpage, email or an embedded message, thus allowing the bad guys into their company's Enterprise Server. BlackBerry hasn't received any reports of attacks just yet, but urges IT administrators to update their BES software all the same. The update is available at the source, as are several temporary workarounds for those that can't update their installations just yet.

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Via: Naked Security

Source: BlackBerry Knowledge Base

PSA: BlackBerry 10 doesn’t need a special data plan

PSA BlackBerry 10 doesn't need a special data plan

With BlackBerry 10 devices wending their way into the hands of patient fans, there's been some uncertainty as to just what service plans customers need to reach the new platform's full potential. The short answer, after confirmations at CrackBerry: just about any of them. Unlike older BlackBerrys, the Z10 and future models don't require tiers with BlackBerry Internet Service or BlackBerry Enterprise Server support in order to work their push messaging magic. Those migrating from a regular BlackBerry plan won't have to worry about switching, though. The lone exceptions are subscribers who have barebones, social-only plans where BIS serves as the filter. While the switch could lead to price hikes for those cost-conscious users, it's otherwise good news for BlackBerry devotees who've wanted the same choice in service as the rest of their smartphone-owning peers.

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Source: CrackBerry

RIM says BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 users will get legacy device support, IT admins (may) rest easy

BlackBerry 10 hands-on swipe

Corporate server managers everywhere were given a jolt this week when rumors emerged that RIM might implement a hard cutoff for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10: any devices based on BlackBerry 7 and earlier might not connect at all, leaving IT leads with the uncomfortable choice of either running a BlackBerry server platform that's supposedly without a future (BES 5) or having to upgrade both the servers and phones all at once. RIM is putting minds at ease -- more or less. The company's Kim Geiger has confirmed in a statement to the media that BES 10 will support legacy devices when it ships in the first quarter of 2013, and that existing server customers will get an upgrade for smooth sailing around when BlackBerry 10 arrives. That's no doubt a comfort, but there are lingering doubts. Rumor source BGR maintains that companies will have to run both the old and new servers side-by-side to address everyone, which could make a truly harmonious environment complex, expensive or both. We've reached out to RIM for a more definitive explanation to hopefully settle the matter. In the meantime, we wouldn't panic; no one is being pushed to adopt BES 10 right away, and those that want to upgrade don't have to give up their legacy hardware.

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RIM says BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 users will get legacy device support, IT admins (may) rest easy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM slapped with $147.2 million in damages from Mformation patent lawsuit (update: RIM response)

RIM slapped with $1472 million in damages from Mformation patent suit

RIM just keeps taking hard knocks in the patent arena. Just days after Nokia had its turn piling on extra infringement claims, device management developer Mformation Technologies has won a hefty $147.2 million verdict against RIM for allegedly violating a remote management patent. The damages amount to $8 for every BlackBerry linked up to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server up to a certain point -- no small impact for a company whose lifeblood is business. About the only reprieve is an escape from future penalties, which would most certainly have soured the recovery efforts for a company already on the ropes. The crew from Waterloo hasn't yet responded to the verdict, but it's hard to picture the company leaving those kinds of damages to sit without an appeal.

Update: RIM has issued a statement in response to the verdict, and it's unsurprisingly putting forward motions that it hopes would overturn the verdict. It's also keen to point out that issues like the obviousness of the patent haven't been settled, which it hopes would deflate Mformation's case.

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RIM slapped with $147.2 million in damages from Mformation patent lawsuit (update: RIM response) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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