Security Threat of BlackBerry Messaging

Now as RIM has agreed to provide a lawful monitoring on the BlackBerry messenger services and the encrypted messages to the Indian state security agencies, the big question is that whether BlackBerry would be able to maintain the data security? In fact there are other state security agencies from Middle East and other parts of the world who are demanding such access. All these have raised the very obvious question: what would happen to the data security in BlackBerry messages, which is highly appreciated and popular among the corporates!!!

However RIM executives negated the notion and added that it would definitely not compromise with the safety of the system and and the private data of the users.

However I don't deny the security concerns, at least at the backdrop of global terrorism and increasing cases of mass killing by several extremists organizations. You might be aware of the unprecedented terrorist attack in Mumbai, which has killed a total of 116 people and injured almost thousand others. The terrorist group has been reported to take the advantage of the BlackBerry phones and used it as the communication media. The secured messaging system has helped them to hide their mission from the security agencies and after it was over they had removed all the traces leaving no proof.

And Mumbai terror attack is not the only case where BlackBerry has been used for terrorist activities. There are many other similar cases too.

According to the security experts world wide, "BlackBerry phones are extremely difficult jigsaw puzzles to decipher and this can certainly dictate the pace of investigations. A partner having an elicit affair for example, can just use a BlackBerry phone to reach the third party and then get away with it, without leaving proof of contact."

However BlackBerry secured messaging service may also be used in corporate frauds. A hoax company group can use BlackBerry units to help in the transactions without leaving any trace that can nail them criminally. So these are really serious and negative sides of BlackBerry systems. And security agencies, national agencies have very strong reasons to ask for a lawful access.

It's really a big challenge for the Research In Motion (RIM) to poise the needs of the security agencies and the corporate users. The business community depends on it because all the confidential business information can be stored and transferred quite confidentially. But as I have already told the strength of BlackBerry has been exploited in such a way that it has become the biggest threat for it. Probably the BlackBerry app developers can think of such applications which can balance the data security and privacy of the users in tact even under a lawful monitoring of the system.