UAE BlackBerry Ban: How secure is your mobile?

Recently, two gulf states – Saudi Arabia and the UAE – announced bans on the popular BBM BlackBerry Instant Messaging service, citing security concerns. It is likely that this was in fact a reaction to the fact that unlike other phones, BlackBerrys encrypt the data you send before sending it to a central server based outside your country – a fact that makes them very difficult to monitor.

The makers of the phone Research in Motion, a Canadian company, are thought to have arrangements with several governments around the world to allow access to their security keys in case of national security concerns. However, Research in Motion aren’t the only people to be allowed access to your private mail. Nearly a year ago in the UAE, BlackBerry users were asked to download an update to their phones which was supposed to increase performance and battery life. It was only after several complaints of increased battery usage that the update was discovered to contain spyware, designed to copy all communications from the device to a central server for monitoring.

This raises several concerns for mobile phone users across the world. Nearly all smartphone operating systems have been discovered to have some security weaknesses caused by loopholes in the firmware that allow remote access to install malicious programs or even keystroke capturing software. It’s very similar to the bugging of your workplace; it allows individuals access to your private communications and even secret files. If you use your office email on your smartphone, you’re even more at risk.

Debugging is one of the main concerns of private investigators around the world, especially in Industry and even Government. A specialist debugging engineer or technician will be trained in the detection of either physical devices (for example microphones placed in an office) or more complex spyware and keyloggers, often installed on office computers or, now, your smartphone.

North Court Investigations is a leading private investigation firm based in the UK which provides a wide range of services, including both debugging and computer forensics. Contact us here to talk to somebody friendly and professional today, who will be able to help you with your enquiry.