An update for Blackberry users in the United Arab Emirates could allow unauthorised access to private information and e-mails.
The update was prompted by a text from UAE telecoms firm Etisalat, suggesting it would improve performance. Instead, the update resulted in crashes or drastically reduced battery life…
Etisalat is a major telecommunications firm based in the UAE, with 145,000 Blackberry users on its books.
In the statement, RIM told customers that “Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application… independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could then enable unauthorised access to private or confidential information stored on the user’s smartphone”.
It adds that “independent sources have concluded that the Etisalat update is not designed to improve performance of your BlackBerry Handheld, but rather to send received messages back to a central server“…
The update has now been identified as an application developed by American firm SS8. The California-based company describes itself as a provider of “lawful electronic intercept and surveillance solutions”…
Etisalat issued a brief statement calling the problem a “slight technical fault”, saying that the “upgrades were required for service enhancements”.
RIM has issued a patch allowing users to remove the application. Phew!
A vote for the security of the Blackberry and their corporate servers then if they have to go to these lengths to get your calls.
Of course in a freedom loving democratic first world superpower they wouldn’t need to do this – or even bother with a warrant.
“RIM has issued a patch allowing users to remove the application.”
Now, if they could only remove the hockey club from Phoenix with the same adroitness, they’d have one happy silly ball.
mmmkay….and who’s to say that the servers that store & relay all the data to the phones wasn’t comprised years ago..
personally, any wireless device i use i consider as already compromised and treat the data on it as such.
i find it interesting, the stories that have been leaking as of late of the completely comprised nature of wireless data/cell devices. (ie the story a few month ago about how the cell phone can be turned on remotely by law enforcement, -and anyone else who can access the phone to install nefarious software.)
worse…It’s all OK by the higher-ups, because you know, it may provide for stopping a terrorist attack. *cough*
-s
The Brother Keeps getting Bigger… I see no End… what to do? Become independently wealthy and move to ..ahhh… shit no place left… Maybe Yalta.. Summers are Nice and Black sea has a nice view. Or.. Lombok, anybody else got any better Ideas/.. I dont want to live in South America, thats the first place they’ll look. 🙂
So? The new law designed to reduce credit card crime by banks on users has a section that requires the companies to record and make available all the data the collect to the right people; the Federal government.
People used to be upset that the Feds had a nice big file on them. Now everybody has a nice big file on them.
Thank you Congress. We know we can always depend on you to sell us out.
And everyone thought that this guy
http://dvorak.org/blog/2009/07/20/lawsuit-links-apple-to-mafia/ was crazy.
🙂