Handheld data security
 

If my Blackberry handheld is stolen, is my data secure? Would someone be able to connect an external cable to my Blackberry and access my data.

That's why it is critically important that you have a password set to kick in on your BB. If it is password protected, and the password has kicked in, there is no way to steal the data. If you enter the password incorrectly 10 times, all customer data is wiped out.

If you password protect your BB, it will wipe all data after 10 (incorrect) attempts to enter the password. You can't access the device in any way - connected to a computer or stand alone - without the password.

You can also encrypt the data, but it will slow down the device, and heavens forbid you have to wipe it with encryption on, it can take HOURS - seriously!

That's why all Federal Government agencies will use ONLY Blackberries - they're the only truly secure mobile email devices!

J

Thanks, can you point me in the direction to encrypt the data if we are required to.

On the BB go to Options --> Security. There are 2 interesting options - one to Compress and one to Encrypt data.

It should also be notes that you can force users to have a password and (I believe) set the time out through IT Policy from the BES. In fact you can control most settings with IT Policy.

Don't ask me how. I'm not a BES Admin!


J

They are not truly secure email device. My boss had his broken into last week by some one. We don't send anything secure thru email. Last I heard the FBI still hadn't tracked it down.
Plus the FBI does something to the email it send so it can't be opened on any handheld device, including blackberrys.

Please clarify. Did he have a password on the device? Was he using BES or BIS? What do you mean "broken into"? I'm just curious.

Just an FYI and somewhat related, my wife got a second hand BB from someone in the office who had bought it second hand from someone else. Her IT guy got it all set up on their BES, then I set it up with Internet email like her old BB was. She started getting emails from some stranger - not the guy. After a month of trying to figure out how this was happening, it ends up somehow Cingular still had the PIN associated with the stranger's Internet email as well as my wife's. Nothing breaks security like a snafu!


J

They broke into his account and were recieving his emails and messages. Not his BB itself. His BB stopped working when this happened and like I said the FBI still has not traced down who it was. Hope that helps answer your questions.

So they broke into his account and the BlackBerry is not secure? What account did they break into?

I am missing the link there.

There is more to the story than we are being told. People do not break into people's Blackberry accounts unless they did not take proper precautions. Sounds like a used device, still ties to another user.

If BB was not secure, we would hear about it for sure!

Wirelessly posted (8700c: BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Breaking into someone's mail account does not make the bb insecure. Bb's seem to be the most secure from what I can see from work and from the web. It also explains why financial institutions and the govt have no prob lems using them.

I use emm for my bes account so I don't get to play with the policy functions, but they offer almost total control of the device.

This is on a government account. That is why is was broken into. CNN has got in to blackberrys when they wanted to get information. ANY email that goes thru the internet is not secure.

I guess that 3DES and AES security isn't all that it's cracked up to be, eh?

Government security, huh...

"I'm from the government, I'm here to help"

By broken into, how in the heck do you break into a bb? unless the user failed to secure it.. what are they the VA now? I have never heard of someone breaking into a bb successfully. Unless proper security protocols were not adheared to. i.e. PASSWORD PROTECT YOUR DEVICE!!!! Has anyone heard of or seen a pw cracker for the bb?

With the VA. Priceless.

Thank you.. the only thing that sucks is that I am one of those 26.2 million people in that database.

They are saying now that teens stole/wiped/resold...but doubt they know if that really happed. Just more BS from the current administration :)

KEEP POLITICS OUT. Bad move there...
It was some moronic low level government worked who lost the data.

Hey did anyone see this article? http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtm...d=40644&page=2

Does anyone know if the problem has been fixed?