Blackberry Fails To Pass UK Government’s Security Requirements

Blackberry 10 devices received a huge blow as the devices failed to pass the security requirements put forward by the British Government. Its unclear if the company will have the revised software for their Blackberry devices and resubmit it, but it has been reported by the UK’s Communications-Electronics Security Group that the devices are not secure enough for daily uses by government personnel.

Blackberry issued a statement:

“We have a long-established relationship with CESG, and we remain the only mobile solution approved for use at ‘Restricted’ when configured in accordance with CESG guidelines. This level of approval only comes following a process which is rigorous and absolutely necessary given the highly confidential nature of the communications being transmitted.

The current restructuring of this approval process, due to the Government Protective Marking Scheme review and the new CESG Commercial Product Assurance scheme has an impact on the timeline for BlackBerry 10 to receive a similar level of approval. The US government’s FIPS 140-2 certification of BlackBerry 10 and the selection of BlackBerry 10 by the German Procurement Office and Federal Office for Information Security underline how our new platform continues to set the standard for government communications.

We are continuing to work closely with CESG on the approval of BlackBerry 10, and we’re confident that BlackBerry 10 will only strengthen our position as the mobile solution of choice for the UK government.”
Blackberry is having a tough time to compete with competitors from Android powered phone companies and even Apple. Blackberry is a choice that has been deemed fit for corporate and government environments, however this failure could be a very bad news for Blackberry. Back in May 2012, TSA favoured iPhones over Blackberry. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also made the same move in September. During October, Blackberry received another blow as the Defense Department choice Android and Apple devices over Blackberry while National Transport Safety Board grabbed iPhone 5s to ditch Blackberry.

James Faucette, an Analyst from Pacific Crest indicated that Z10 didn’t have any luck even in UK as the sales of the devices decreased considerably ever since the launch.

Via: DailyTech