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05-13-2009, 09:03 AM
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#1
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Spam Reporter
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FAQ: Are BlackBerry Devices Affected by Viruses, Trojans, or Other Malware?
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At the time of this writing, BlackBerry devices are not and never have been affected by any form of malware. This includes viruses, trojans and other sorts of applications that negatively affect a system's performance.
The fact of the matter is that malware is written to affect the largest user base as possible, and that is Microsoft Windows-based personal computers. BlackBerry OS is Sun Java-based, and is therefore not affected by malware written for Microsoft Windows. Further, the BlackBerry OS is arguably the most secure mobile computing platforms in the world. This, coupled with the fact the OS is proprietary and runs only on Research in Motion brand BlackBerry devices (BlackBerry Connect is an application for other platforms, and is not an OS), makes BlackBerry devices a very unatrractive target. Obviously this could change in the future, but it is highly unlikely.
Code:
This article is © 2009 Dan Carlson and www.blackberryforums.com. It may not be reproduced or altered in any way without express consent of the author or this site. It may be shared with other entities, but should only be done so as a link back to this. All other forms of distribution are not authorized.
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I h8 txtspk.
Last edited by dc/dc; 05-13-2009 at 09:05 AM..
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05-13-2009, 10:26 AM
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#2
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BlackBerry Extraordinaire
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Thank you. Very timely indeed, and I have quoted you in an evaluation of a user's issue.
I just had a user come to me this morning insisting his wife's BB was infected, as he had just received an email from her "cell phone email" that she had not sent. After further investigation, I pointed out that this email originated from a Yahoo account, and advised user to change password, check for new rules, etc. Since she only uses that email address on the mobile device, they both assumed that it originated from same.
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Last edited by CO_BBTechie; 05-13-2009 at 10:27 AM..
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05-13-2009, 01:59 PM
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#3
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BBF War Game Mod
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CO_BBTechie
After further investigation, I pointed out that this email originated from a Yahoo account, and advised user to change password, check for new rules, etc. Since she only uses that email address on the mobile device, they both assumed that it originated from same.
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It probably originated from neither. I have SHEDLOADS of spam sent out in my name, because a lot of my email accounts are very established addresses. None of the accounts are/have been compromised, spammers just like faking the "from" field using real addresses, and I reckon I am on every spammer list going.
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Jadey : Infrastructure Architect, Denver CO
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05-13-2009, 11:45 PM
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#4
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BBF Spam Killer Moderator
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Nice post.
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05-14-2009, 07:38 AM
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#5
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BlackBerryForums.com Super Moderator
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Very nice post.. Hope it gets added to the FAQ site!
I'm surprised no one wrote this sooner
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Just think about how far BlackBerries have come from then till now... And what else is coming.
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05-16-2009, 03:49 AM
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#6
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BlackBerry Extraordinaire
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thanks dc, well written and super informative.
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05-16-2009, 11:11 AM
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#7
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BlackBerry Master
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Great post. Should be stickied. I'm sure most people ask this question but don't really know the answer to it.
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05-16-2009, 11:29 PM
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#8
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Platinum Sponsor
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If it were mal-ware possess-able, the BB would not have gotten this far into the market share...
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Sync your Contacts/Calendar/Notes/Tasks wirelessly from your PC to BB - http://www.thinkpost.net
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07-09-2009, 05:17 PM
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#9
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New Member
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maybee you all didn't see this....
type in http before this link topnews.us/content/24133-new-variant-facebook-worm-koobface-navigating-across-other-networking-sites
New variant of Facebook worm Koobface navigating across other networking sites
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07-09-2009, 05:19 PM
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#10
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Grumpy Moderator
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Which, of course, doesn't impact the BlackBerry at all.
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07-09-2009, 05:22 PM
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#11
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New Member
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or this one :
<type in http www>.kb.cert.org/CERT_WEB/services/vul-notes.nsf/0/15393e1889738703852570e8002bdbfa?OpenDocument
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07-09-2009, 05:28 PM
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#12
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New Member
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or this one
kb.cert.org/CERT_WEB/services/vul-notes.nsf/0/07f3a31686b85e40852572d500662962?OpenDocument
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07-09-2009, 05:29 PM
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#13
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New Member
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or this one
kb.cert.org/CERT_WEB/services/vul-notes.nsf/0/907b43dab47313868525759a00771622?OpenDocument
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07-09-2009, 05:40 PM
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#14
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or these four:
kb.cert.org/vuls/byid%3fsearchview%26query=rim_blackberry_fx_dec_20 06
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07-09-2009, 05:41 PM
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#15
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or the trojan horse : <J2ME/RedBrowser.a Trojan horse
<http> <www> blackberry.com/btsc/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=KB04 916&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_SUPPORTISSUE_1_1&dialog ID=117220591&stateId=1%200%20118570223
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07-09-2009, 05:42 PM
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#16
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BlackBerry Mensa
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we get it.
stop.
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07-09-2009, 05:43 PM
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#17
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don't get me wrong... I love the bb.
I just had to comment because the previous poster said "they are no worms or viruses"..... yeah but.... that doesn't mean that there are no system vulnerabilities.
There are /far fewer/ than on any other mobile device, that why I have one, but you do need to keep your system up2date with patches.
<http> na.blackberry.com/eng/services/personal/updating.jsp#tab_tab_smart
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07-09-2009, 05:45 PM
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#18
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New Member
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sorry, new user.... the /rules/ say I can't post a full url until after I have posted 10 times, so I broke up what would otherwise be one post into many. sorry for the spam.
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07-09-2009, 05:47 PM
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#19
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Grumpy Moderator
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And there are STILL no worms or viruses that attack the BlackBerry operating system.
The link you put in has NOTHING to do with vulnerabilities, attacks, denials of service. It is for newer versions of the handheld OS.
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07-09-2009, 05:59 PM
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#20
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BBF Spam Killer Moderator
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anubiz, maybe you were referring to this?
Vulnerabilities in the PDF distiller of the BlackBerry Attachment Service for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server
View Document
That did not affect BlackBerry handsets and RIM has been very quick to fix any vulnerabilities found. The fact remains that there have not been any exploits, trojans, viruses, worms, or any malware that would run on a BlackBerry device.
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