BlackBerry Storm
Research in Motion (RIM) has reported another vulnerability affecting the BlackBerry line of devices. Many BlackBerry users may not have been aware that RIM had issued the warning and fix on May 26, 2009.
The vulnerability could occur when BlackBerry users open PDF formatted attachments, which may be from hackers hoping to gain access to servers which use the BlackBerry systems.
It is interesting to note that companies do not always make grand announcements about any security flaws and say that it due to fear that malicious users will take advantage of the flaw. Meanwhile the end-user will have no idea that they are at risk. This line of reasoning is flawed; users should be made aware of any security risks that have become known. They should also be able to install the patch immediately; there is less risk of data being compromised.
The BlackBerry patch can be found here and if you are a BlackBerry user, it is advisable to download and install this patch immediately.
Research in Motion has advised companies to prevent their BlackBerry users from downloading any attachments until they have installed the patch. That has been the only commentary from Research in Motion on this issue.
Remote workers should always make an extra effort to be cautious when receiving attachments that they know who they are from and that they have done due diligence with insuring they have kept their mobile device up-to-date with security patches.
[Reuters]
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