BlackBerry PRIV Is Secured Against Rooting
The Canadian firm is all set to make its first ever Android based smartphone the most secured.
The Canadian mobile manufacturer holds prime position when it comes to prestige and privacy. The BB OS handsets are widely common among government officials and other consumers who demand high level of security. Therefore, the company was not behind in securing its newly launched first-ever Android based phone –PRIV. It is no surprise that the $4 billion company is cautious towards the security of its devices.
Rooting and jailbreaking are two of the most favorite processes of the tech savvy people. The idea of “controlling” the delicate and sophisticated system is intimidating. Therefore, a lot of people intentionally root their devices to get access to the intricate features. This also allows them to alter the programmed version according to their own choice. Such alteration may lead to installing apps which are restricted to certain operating system –for instance installing strictly iOS based apps on Android. But, there is a greater damage to a handset through rooting. It can allow the apps to access the handset’s software, it can make hacking easier, and above all it can obscure the operating system in such a way that it cannot be rebooted; in other words the handset is as good as a scrap.
To curb the threats of stability and security, the organization has posted in its official blog –INSIDE BlackBerry –that the new Android based PRIVs are root-secured. In simpler terms, it means that many financial applications including, but not limited to banking and payment will not be accessible on the prestigious smartphones.
PRIV comes with a technology called, “BlackBerry Integrity Detection.” Through the blog, the company has explained that this technology will “monitor for events or configuration changes that could compromise the security of the device.” It uses an application to generate integrity report which is signed with ECC-256. The tech also combines with Good Secure EMM Suites –a newly introduced mobility management solution –and BES12, which conveniently allow the IT administers to monitor for jailbroken and rooted devices.
BlackBerry Integrity Detection features include checking for unauthorized changes to the SELinux policy, monitoring file system mounting permissions, and ensuring that unauthorized apps don’t acquire escalated privileges, among others.
The handset also has a preloaded DTEK app which let the consumers to manage and protect their privacy. The app shows the overall security of the consumer’s handset and the factors which affect them for example password strength, encryption settings, and the apps installed. Further, the app provides a recommendation to increase the security and privacy of the device.
Last week, BlackBerry executive, Damian Tay announced that Android is likely to be the future. He declared that the company will not be working on two operating systems simultaneously. Many tech-analysts anticipate that by ditching its own operating system, the company might compromise on its loyal customers who opt for the handsets just because of their high level of security. However, through BlackBerry Integrity Detection, DTEK, and other numerous privacy features, which shield the device from malwares and security threats, the tech organization makes PRIV “the most secure Android device.”
