RIM really knows how to woo security organizations to certify their products. The latest gives the new BlackBerry 7 OS the third party Common Criteria evaluation certification and meet the security criteria for evaluation assurance level (EAL) 4+. EAL is a ranking from 1 to 7 but a higher number does not necessarily mean it is more secure. It just means that the TOE (Target of Evaluation) has been put through more extensive verification.
In other words companies can now confidently deploy BlackBerry 7 OS devices knowing that they have yet another certification under their belt. The EAL4+ certification for the BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Torch 9810, BlackBerry Torch 9860 and BlackBerry Curve 9360 which currently run the BlackBerry 7 OS is posted on the Common Criteria Portal. Full press release below:
BlackBerry 7 OS Awarded Common Criteria EAL4+ Certification
WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Nov. 14, 2011) – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced that BlackBerry(R) smartphones running on the BlackBerry(R) 7 Operating System (OS) have been independently evaluated by a third-party Common Criteria evaluation facility and meet the security criteria for evaluation assurance level (EAL) 4+.
The Common Criteria is an international standard for validating that products meet specific security requirements. Widely respected for its extensive and comprehensive evaluation by an independent third party, EAL4+ accreditation examines a product’s design, software development methodology, and security mechanisms. EAL4+ is the highest level of accreditation under the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA) by 26 countries.
"Security is one of the most important considerations for enterprise customers and we are proud that BlackBerry 7 OS has earned this rigorous certification," said Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Security at RIM. "RIM is renowned as a market leader in the delivery of secure mobile solutions, and this achievement helps to provide our customers globally with continued confidence in deploying BlackBerry solutions throughout their organizations."
As a market leader in the area of information assurance and compliance, RIM is committed to independent, third party security testing and certifications of BlackBerry products. RIM is active in the Cryptographic Module Validation Program in North America, United Kingdom CESG Assisted Product Service (CAPS) and International Common Criteria evaluation scheme. BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server has been previously awarded EAL4+ certification and the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution has also been previously approved for storing and transmitting sensitive data by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as government organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Australia and New Zealand.
The EAL4+ certification for the BlackBerry(R) Bold(TM) 9900, BlackBerry(R) Torch(TM) 9810, BlackBerry(R) Torch(TM) 9860 and BlackBerry(R) Curve(TM) 9360 smartphones based on BlackBerry 7 OS is posted on the Common Criteria Portal (http://www.commoncriteriaportal.org/products). EAL4+ certification for other BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones including the BlackBerry Bold 9930, BlackBerry Torch 9850, BlackBerry Curve 9350, BlackBerry Curve 9370 and Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry are expected early next year.
To find out more about BlackBerry security certifications please visitwww.blackberry.com/go/security.
More on BerryReview
August 22, 2011
October 26, 2011
May 1, 2008
July 27, 2011
Please enter your name
Please enter a valid email address
Please enter your message
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.
Another OS update officially dropped today for the BlackBerry Curve 9350 courtesy of US Cellular. The update to v7.0.0.400 is nice because CDMA devices don’t usually get updates as fast. We have no idea what is new in this build but if you are an official OS only guy you may want to check it out:
