BlackBerry recommended for security

data safe, writes eWeek.

The advice was published by the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance at GCHQ, known as CESG. It covers smartphones including the iPhone, Windows Phone 7, Nokia as well as RIM devices.

CESG published four documents covering secure deployment of mobile devices, including architectural issues such as recommended network layout, configuration advice, training issues and information on risks, according to the organisation.

According to Computerworld UK, the detail of the new guidelines can only be accessed by users of the Government's Secure Intranet but is understood to take account of the fact that rival platforms now have some of these features, which makes their use possible in some circumstances.

However, the report states that the BlackBerry is likely to remain the only device cleared for use at Impact Level 3, or 'restricted' in CESG parlance, thanks to its mature enterprise management software and BlackBerry Messenger application.

The effectiveness of the end-to-end encryption used on this service was demonstrated last year as a number of countries including India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE asked the company for access to its servers in order to monitor some traffic.

Ron Gula, chief executive at Tenable Network Security, says regardless of platform, the main challenge to mobile security is the vulnerability of mobile data, reports ComputerWeekly.

Mobile technology is often new and rapidly changing, so the potential for spyware is huge and all smart devices will continue to be a constant security concern now and in the future, he says.

“Smart devices entering the workplace represent a combination of opportunity and threat, so organisations must understand the bigger picture of where information rests and flows within the network,” says Gula.