Mobile security may not be secure as you think. While NSA snooping is nothing new, a recent report claims that the National Security Agency has the ability to access data on iOS, Android and even BlackBerry devices.
According to documents, the NSA has set up specialized groups that work on specific platforms in order to tap into phone contacts, SMS records, notes and location information on devices. In the case of iOS, the reports state that user information has been obtained from gaining access to the computers used to sync devices.
The claims also say that the specialists had success hacking into BlackBerry devices back in 2009 where they could "see and read SMS traffic", though there was a brief period the same year when they were unable to access devices at all. The also had successful attempts at accessing the BlackBerry mail system during that time.
We reached out to BlackBerry and this is what they had to say:
It is not for us to comment on media reports regarding alleged government surveillance of telecommunications traffic. However, we remain confident in the superiority of BlackBerry's mobile security platform for customers using our integrated device and enterprise server technology. Our public statements and principles have long underscored that there is no 'back door' pipeline to our platform. Our customers can rest assured that BlackBerry mobile security remains the best available solution to protect their mobile communications.
So while the rumors may or may not be true, BlackBerry is standing by the fact that their mobile security is second to none. We're not really heard of any big cases where hacking into BlackBerry phones or stealing data off them has come into play in grand fashion, so until we do we still feel totally secure with the BlackBerry platform. How about you?
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