Slashdot Mirror
Cracking the BlackBerry with a $100 Key
Hit Reply writes "Eweek is running the contents of a Symantec white paper that details how easy it is for a hacker to manipulate BlackBerry applications. Using a developer key that can be purchased by anyone for $100, an attacker can launch e-mail worms, SMS interception and backdoor attacks, and compromise the integrity of contacts, events and to-do items. The white paper has been yanked from Symantec's Web site." From the article: "Signed applications can send e-mail and read incoming e-mail. A malicious application could be used to allow third parties to send messages from the infected BlackBerry and also read all received messages. A malicious application could also use e-mail as a command and control channel to receive instructions to send and receive e-mails; send and receive SMS messages; add, delete and modify contacts and PIM data; read dialed phone numbers; initiate phone calls; and open TCP/IP connections."
I see Symantec is still sensitive to the charge that they create worms, etc, to drum up business for themselves.
Personally it doesn't bother me in the least that a security company is interested in, well, security. Having them actually detail vulnerabilities and produce papers like this would at least be a useful function for them.
Of course, so would producing a worthwhile product that doesn't devour processor cycles, hog system resources, and create system instability upon removal.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
So you can get a signature really cheap. The device owner still has to install the application on their Blackberry.
how many crackberries could a cracker crack if a cracker could crack crackberries?
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
I can send malicious emails and execute malicious programs in my friend's Linux box with a free "developer key". Just type "su" in the terminal and then enter this "developer key" (absolutely free) and its all yours.
I should mention that yes, indeed, these situations are almost identical. A root password *can* be changed, to whatever you want, even without knowledge of what previous password was, quite easily.
It sounds like it could be possible stalker fodder, but I don't know how many people would find the information a Crackberry stores/sends/receives to be highly valuable. Sure, they could be malicious and run up someone's text messaging bill, but there are a lot funnier ways to piss people off, such as by putting gum on the scroller wheel.
In other news, NTP just sued Blackberry, citing that the vulnerability was actually patented by them.
Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again.
It's amazing! An application installed to your phone can do things!
Why is this even posted like it's some kind of new concept?
If you install an application to your desktop machine, it can do all of those things. Why do you think the phone is any different? If you don't like the idea of malicious software then don't use a smartphone of any variety.
In fact, this should be good news. A person has to go to the extra length of signing their application before it has this access. Of course, on my smartphone an application cannot be installed without my confirmation, regardless of signatures. Is this not the case with the blackberry? If so, shame on you RIM.
I read the script, and I think it would help my character's motivation if he was on fire. -Bender
This is a pretty stupid white paper. The whole point of the key is that you can easily tell which key is being used by the offending applications, and then revoke that key. And it costs the attacker $100 per attack. It's a good system which balances the needs of the network, the users, and developers.
I believe they already are, encryption keys are regenerated monthly on my blackberry, I always assumed that they were for this exact purpose.
I can crack a blackberry with a $4 hammer!
I can do it for free with my fist, but that kinda hurts.
paintball
I've decided this news posting was just an elaborate ploy by Slashdot to identify the BES admins in the slashdot community :P
... I mean come on, nobody's stupid enough to install random software on their machine without knowing what it does. Oh, wait...
So if you execute code on a computer, it does what you tell it to do? Better watch out!
First they come up with the hypothetical Mac "virus" that can hypothetically execute code if you manually download it and run it. And now it's the hypothetical BlackBerry malware that will hypothetically execute code if you manually download it and run it.
What an absolutely pathetic attempt at marketing from the once grand antivirus company.
ENDUT! HOCH HECH!
I'm just a beginner bb developer, but I think it's even HARDER than is sounds to write Blackberry worm.
Even if you DO write a program that reads/sends email or connects to the internet.
And then pay the money and SIGN your malicious app--
and then somehow get somebody to INSTALL it..
Well on the BB releases I use - you will also get WARNINGS when you execute the program.
When the program first tries to access your email folder - it will pop up a warning asking you "do you want to allow this program to acesss your email folder?"
First time the application tries to open a TCP/IP connection to the outside world - same thing: "The application is attempting to open a conneciton to X.X.X.X - do you wish to allow it?". You can type "Allow" or "Deny" or "Allow always".
So BE WARNED: A person can a malicous program, that is signed with his name on it (RIM takes your info before they give you the keys), which you MIGHT install and then you MIGHT accidentally give it access to your emails, and address book, and access to internet. If all those things happen - then it would be bad!