Blackberry’s major selling point is that their devices and software is safer than all others. There’s a chance that they’re lying, and Apple and Android could be, too. The police in the Netherlands have gotten their hands on some encrypted emails in extra-secure PGP Blackberry phones, and their security and privacy policies are under question.
Blackberry Isn’t As Safe As They Want You to Believe
The findings were made by the Netherlands Forensic Institute. They claim to have gotten their hands on emails from a Blackberry smartphone that had been especially personalized to be extra safe through the use of PGP encryption. According to reports, they were able to access the data.
What Is PGP?
PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy. The program boosts any device’s security and offers encryption and decryption services. This adds some more safety to emails, files and text messages. PGP Blackberry phones are called more secure and sold by online vendors for people who want their emails to be kept safe.
The NFI has not revealed what methods were used to crack the codes, but sources have revealed that the forensics program was developed by private firm CelleBrite.
According to the Canadian company, the only way to crack one of their phones is if the hacker himself has his hands on the device. The Dutch police may just have disproved that statement. Just recently, Blackberry was forced to pull out of Pakistan due to threats from the government to allow them backdoor access to user data. As of July 2015, Blackberry is no longer active in the country.
Blackberry Has Been Busted, But What About Android and Apple?
Apple has been deemed perfectly safe by their users. Although their devices aren’t foolproof, they’re decently safe. Android has gotten mildly average rep for their security since their operations are so open. Many have called their systems vulnerable. Neither company has denied or accepted claims about security.
However, there are competitions designed for hackers to hack into iPhones. It’s an important event because the device is pretty difficult to break into, especially in the latest iOS 9. That being said, you can guess it’s a good bet to take Apple’s word when it comes to device safety. With Blackberry, apparently, not so much.
