Blackberry Key Given to RCMP.

Blackberries are used by business and government personnel primarily because of the ‘secure encryption’ they supposedly have had.

Well, that idea is dead as two tin cans and a string and could very well be the death knell of that company.

Privacy experts are expressing concern and outrage after the revelation that the RCMP has had a key to unlock encrypted messages between personal BlackBerry users since at least 2016, and has used that key to decrypt about one million messages.
...

Cavoukian said that she wrote a letter to the company, which elicited a “rude response” telling her she was being unpatriotic, and that BlackBerry would go ahead with providing the key.

“I gave up my BlackBerry; I got an iPhone,” she said. “We have to applaud (Apple CEO) Tim Cook because he has not done what they’re doing,” she added, referring to Cook’s refusal to give the U.S. FBI the means to circumvent the security on its iPhone devices. The FBI subsequently said it found a way to hack the iPhone 5C of the San Bernardino attacker Syed Farook.

www.ctvnews.ca...

Buh bye Blackberry. Hello iPhone.

a reply to: masqua

SMH, I guess it's "unpatriotic" to expect privacy in a free country these days?

a reply to: JacKatMtn

From what I understand, this key was made available 2010/2011. The government at that time had a lot of clout, so I'm wondering if they were a little 'forced' to do it.

a reply to: masqua

Well BB/RIM has been reeling since the iPhone... I wouldn't doubt that they would be an easy target for submission...

How times change, the US gubmint loved the security of the BB, and used them plenty...

I guess it's different if the folks wanted to have security in their communications as well....

Oh well... as far as I am concerned, there are no consumer comm devices pushed that are impervious to Govt, intrusion, be it the US, CANADA, or elsewhere....

those days are gone...

a reply to: JacKatMtn

Yeah, particularly when you factor in Apple's refusal to give up their key and then, a few days later, you hear that they cracked it themselves.

a reply to: masqua

I could be wrong, but I would categorize that whole Apple FBI deal, as "sleight of hand".... to appease the masses...

and save face & sales, for Cook & crew...

the only feature keeping the device on the market has been killed.

You're right. Its their death knell. Unless they've been doing some serious R&D

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

The only R&D they've been doing, AFAIK, was re-inventing their original Blackberry as a secure phone.

I'll look on their website. Their HQ is about a half hour down the road from me.

a reply to: masqua

Well, i'd love to see someone "dethrone" Apple.

But i'd end up just hating them, too.

Well, it looks like the police have had the key for 6 years now:

It appears as though BlackBerry's global decryption key was previously obtained by the Canadian Police. According to a report, the police have had the key to BlackBerry devices since 2010, but neither the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) nor BlackBerry will confirm the details of how it was handed over. From Vice's report:

According to technical reports by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that were filed in court, law enforcement intercepted and decrypted roughly one million PIN-to-PIN BlackBerry messages in connection with the probe. The report doesn't disclose exactly where the key — effectively a piece of code that could break the encryption on virtually any BlackBerry message sent from one device to another — came from. But, as one police officer put it, it was a key that could unlock millions of doors.

It is also unknown whether the RCMP still has the global key sitting on their servers. While the key wouldn't gain access to enterprise devices, it does to consumer phones, which could mean that the police had been able to access phones for years.

crackberry.com...

So much for ‘improved encryption’ on their latest models. I looked at their website and read nothing about giving up the key.

Not good news, imho.

"Research In Motion" is done as a company. I LOVED my Blackberry 6 years ago... but they failed to keep up. They can have the key to mine. It has been dead in a box forever...

a reply to: masqua

total shame... I have used BB, as did the wife.. loved them, they never let me down, and the security factor was the ONE deal that sold us...

If any cellphone maker wants to make money, break through, these days.. it would be one that is secure...

If that is even possible these days...

originally posted by: JacKatMtn

If any cellphone maker wants to make money, break through, these days.. it would be one that is secure...

If that is even possible these days...

With all the terror related crap 'out there', I'd be surprised if western governments would even allow new devices with secure encryption.

Wanna start a new android? Please deposit key prior to production with 'Five Eyes'.

guess we have to go back to the personals column in the newspapers.....

a reply to: masqua

No doubt, therein lies the problem....

The folks aren't entitled to their security...

It must be issued as the govt pleases...

scary times?!

a reply to: JacKatMtn

Maybe tin cans and a string will be the safest communication after all.

What are you guys talking about Black berry has been dead for 6 years they just been holding on to the last drop as you say like a monkey with his hand trapped in a peanut barrel and will not let go of the peanuts and you're their and snuff him out.

The government switched to iphones officially A LONG TIME AGO and black berry never saw the smart phone coming and their patent keyboard became obsolete overnight

a reply to: masqua

I have used BB as my phones for years.
If that user had BB protect they could easily just destroy the phones records and saved files from a computer.
A phone can be obsolete with BB protect, even the phones PIN.
Honestly, they gave over the 'key' over because it's up to the user to control security in reality.

From what I understand, high security government officials use modified BlackBerrys with custom encryption keys not used by the public. Not just default keys you buy with the phone.

According to my Darlin' (who has a Blackberry), the primary worth of it is that within certain internet/phone systems, it can be tethered to devices and computers. I know nothing about this madness and don't want to. I use a $30 disposable phone. She has to have everything linked because of her work.

We have iphones down here, but they don't link/tether to much of anything. I kind of think that's a fault of our local systems, though.

If BB security has been compromised, that will surely be the death knell down here in the Caribbean also. We might tell the world every single nuance of our day right down to the gristly details, but oh hell no, don't let a kilobyte of info wander away from our friend zone. (just my impression. I don't do FB either).