Malicious PDFs leave BlackBerrys vulnerable
RIM warns that new vulnerabilities leave the phones open for hacking.


BlackBerry servers could be left vulnerable to hacking, according to an advisory statement on RIM's website.
The document said that there are several vulnerabilities in the system. "These vulnerabilities could enable a malicious individual to send an email message containing a specially crafted PDF file, which when opened for viewing on a BlackBerry smartphone, could cause memory corruption and possibly lead to arbitrary code execution on the computer that hosts the BlackBerry Attachment Service."
It currently affects BlackBerry Enterprise Server versions 4.1x and 5.0, as well as Blackberry Professional Software. RIM has released interim security updates via the website until the problem is fully fixed, but has warned its users to avoid processing PDF files in the meantime.
It also reminded its customers: "As a mobile device best practice, Research In Motion (RIM) recommends that BlackBerry smartphone users open attachments from trusted sources only."
Yesterday Kapersky launched its new mobile security 8.0 due to the rise of people using their mobile phones like computers.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.
Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.
-
CISA issues warning in wake of Oracle cloud credentials leak
News The security agency has published guidance for enterprises at risk
By Ross Kelly
-
Reports: White House mulling DeepSeek ban amid investigation
News Nvidia is caught up in US-China AI battle, but Huang still visits DeepSeek in Beijing
By Nicole Kobie
-
BlackBerry believes tech firms should submit to government requests
News Canadian mobile maker says tech companies should be "good corporate citizens"
By Aaron Lee
-
BlackBerry buys Secusmart to bolster enterprise security offerings
News BlackBerry to integrate firm's voice and data encryption and anti-eavesdropping solutions into its platform
By Clare Hopping
-
BBM Protected messaging feature unveiled by BlackBerry
News Phone maker touts FIPS 140-2 crypto for super secret messages as it renews focus on enterprise
By Rene Millman
-
GFI trumpets discovery of Olympic 2012 smartphone malware
News Web security vendor claims to have discovered several sites listing Boxer-style malware as the official Olympic smartphone app.
By Caroline Donnelly
-
BBX BlackBerry Server brings security ruckus for CIOs
News Working with the new BlackBerry Server, BBX will secure enterprise data and provision enterprise apps without blocking consumer apps.
By Mary Branscombe
-
Week in review: Lenovo trumps Dell; drone attack; security hacks abound
News It's been cock-ups a plenty this week, on the part of both companies and customers, but Lenovo has plenty to be happy about. Or does it?
By Alan Lu
-
RIM planning BlackBerry Android tie up?
News According to sources, Android apps could soon feature on BlackBerry smartphones.
By Tom Brewster
-
Google patches WebKit flaw post Pwn2Own
News Google patches a WebKit vulnerability, exploited by a team of Pwn2Own winners.
By Tom Brewster