Tag: mobile security

The government has given their approval to the BB10 operating system for running on Defense Department networks.

BlackBerry’s ongoing battle to make its way back into profitability received a notable boost in recent news, as the handset manufacturer’s BlackBerry 10 operating system received the mobile security green light for running on Defense Department networks.

The “full operational capacity” (FOC) designation has now been granted to the BB10 OS.

The Defense Information Systems Agency granted the FOC designation that showed that the mobile security levels were satisfactory for the department’s requirements. That agency is responsible for much of the push for the DoD toward mobility. This makes the company the first one to receive this FOC, and follows on the heels of an announcement made last August, which indicated that the authority would be operating its BlackBerry Q10 and Z10 smartphones with the management solution from BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.

This mobile security approval allows government users to access a number of DoD network resources via smartphones.

Because the FOC has now been granted, it means that government users who have mobile devices based on BlackBerry 10 can remain connected with the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. This allows them to securely obtain access to apps, email, information, and other network resources from the Department of Defense. This, according to a recent news release from the Canadian handset manufacturer.

That company was also the first to receive Assurance to Operate (ATO) from the Department of Defense, and is now the only vendor that has achieved FOC. Now that it has received this new designation, it means that BlackBerry’s DoD mobile security certification process has finally been completed. This has been a lengthy effort that the manufacturer has been determined to achieve.

BlackBerry has long been associated with very highly secured hardware and software products and it has been working with the Department of Defense in the United States for several years. This positive news of its certification has come at a time in which the company has been making a number of strategic moves to recreate itself and return to its former level of profitability.

Security is beginning to attract more attention, but threats inspire little action

As mobile commerce becomes more prolific, security is becoming a much more serious issue. Hackers have begun to focus on the mobile field more diligently because of the lack of security solutions that exist therein. Malicious groups have turned much of their attention to the commerce space because of the trafficking of financial information. Due to lackluster security, many consumers are finding themselves exposed to the risk of having their financial information exploited by malicious parties.

Malicious devices are becoming more common

The number of malicious devices in the physical world is growing at a rapid pace. These devices include those that are designed to mimic or exploit cash registers, credit card readers, and other such hardware. Even gas pumps are being equipped with devices that are meant to steal information from credit cards. These devices are also becoming more mobile-centric as a growing number of people begin to pay for products and services with their smartphones rather than with their credit cards. While physical devices are quickly becoming a problematic issue, malware is being considered much more dangerous.

Malware is growing at a rapid pace

According to security firm MacAfee, malware targeting mobile devices is becoming more common at an alarming rate. The firm notes that the presence of malware targeting the Android platform specifically has tripled between 2012 and 2013, with an estimated 3.7 million malware applications having been identified at this time. Notably, much of this malware goes undeterred as it attacks consumers and retailers alike. This is largely due to the lack of focus that both people and businesses have when it comes to matters of mobile security.

Hackers are winning the fight on the security front

Hackers may be winning the security battle. Because retailers, and other types of businesses, are still somewhat new to the mobile field, they are not necessarily attuned to the security issues that exist within the mobile commerce space. As these businesses continue to embrace new security solutions, they are finding that hackers have already developed malware that can bypass these solutions.