Heins also talked up BlackBerry’s strength in the enterprise, it’s one-time stronghold. It’s in the process of rolling out BlackBerry Enterprise Server BES to enterprises, as well as extending a scaled-down version to iOS and Android.
via Light Reading – BlackBerry Hopes Services Will Be Its Savior.
Hiding malicious code inside image files isn’t new: way back in ye olden days of 2004, malware hidden inside JPEG files plagued Windows machines. Some administrators are doubtlessly wondering why, after all this time, this sort of vulnerability hasn’t been decisively eliminated from the online world.
via TIFF Files Can Attack BlackBerry Server.
From: BlackBerry Vulnerability Could Allow Access to Enterprise Server
An attacker could rig a TIFF image with malware and get a user to either view the image via a specially crafted website or send it to the user via email or instant message. The last two exploit vectors could make it so the user wouldn’t have to click the link or image, or view the email or instant message, for the attack to prove successful. Once executed, an attacker could access and execute code on Blackberry’s Enterprise Server. According to the advisory, an attacker could also “extend access to other non-segmented parts of the network,” depending on privileges.
For example, the BlackBerry knows when it’s in a holster. It knows when it’s on a nightstand so it can do all kinds of “I’m in a nightstand now” things. You know what’s “incoming” without taking it out of its case – you can tell that from the LED indicator. (Enthusiasts have written programs to allow you to set sophisticated ‘Blinkenlights’ sequences of coloured flashes, telling you in much more detail what is going on.) The obsession with usability extends to giving everything a shortcut key. You can set up a custom shortcut key to show you all the emails from Alice in the last three months, for example.
via BlackBerry 10: AWESOME. If the hardware matches it, RIM jobs are safe • The Register.
Once you’ve got used to it, and that the Hub is the home screen, BB10 is by some distance the most brutally efficient multitouch interface I have used so far. It makes the others look like hard work.
After considering motions presented by both parties, as well as the jury verdict (which was announced by RIM on July 14, 2012), the Judge determined that RIM had not infringed on Mformation’s patent. In granting RIM’s motion, the Judge also vacated the $147.2 million jury award, which means that RIM is not required to make any payment to Mformation. Mformation has the right to appeal the Judge’s ruling; however if Mformation successfully appeals the ruling, the jury verdict would not be reinstated and instead a new trial would occur.
via Verdict Overturned in Favor of Research In Motion in Mformation Patent Case – MarketWatch.
Zitmo refers to a version of the Zeus malware that specifically targets mobile devices. Previous Zitmos variants masqueraded as banking security applications or security add-ons to circumvent out-of-band authentication systems used by some financial institutions by intercepting one-time passwords sent via text message and forwarding it to a another cell number that acted as a command-and-control device.
via Researchers Identify Four BlackBerry Zitmo Variants | SecurityWeek.Com.
Collaborating on research is important because the vulnerability doesn’t have to be within BlackBerry’s code to compromise the platform, Stone noted. For example, researchers exploited issues in the open source browser engine Webkit to hack a BlackBerry last year’s CanSecWest Pwn2Own contest. It’s about “protecting the ecosystem,” as one vulnerability identified in one platform can easily exist in another platform, Stone said.
Nokia and RIM, the two former leaders in the early smartphone market, are now basically at the end stage of their downward spirals. This is an opportunity for Microsoft, which wants to make some inroads in the smartphone market, assuming Microsoft it can play its cards right.
via Microsoft Explorer : Which carcass is worth more for Microsoft’s vultures, RIM or Nokia?.
ORLANDO, FLA. — Research In Motion will always be associated with the iconic BlackBerry, but it became clear at this week’s BlackBerry World conference that the company is starting to hedge its bets.
via GuelphMercury – RIM not putting all its eggs in smartphone basket.
BlackBerry 10 is much more than a smartphone operating system, Heins stressed in Orlando, just as he did in March during a conference call to discuss RIM’s quarterly results.
It’s a whole new mobile computing platform that forms the guts of the PlayBook, RIM’s tablet device, and can adapt to a wide range of other uses such as telematic systems in planes, trains and automobiles.
With its future up for grabs, Research in Motion at its annual BlackBerry World conference next week will focus on simplifying development for its soon-to-be-unveiled BlackBerry 10 operating system. HTML5 is one key technology in that strategy to create a viable ecosystem of applications for a new generation of mobile devices expected to ship by year-end.
via RIM’s future hangs on developer support for “new BlackBerry”.
RIM gave the bears more ammunition to punish the stock. It’s trading below tangible book value and there’s no conceivable reason to expect that to change anytime soon. If anything, fears about RIM’s survival are becoming much more real.
I don’t mean to sound too harsh, but it’s obvious that a timely launch of BlackBerry 10 is RIM’s last chance. It’s a pretty GOOD chance, but if they screw it up we’re talking about break up value, take-out pricing and other less-than-ideal scenarios for investors.
via RIM’s Q4: Weak results, outlook and brutally honest CEO commentary | CrackBerry.com.