RIM patches another BlackBerry Enterprise Server PDF flaw

By Al Sacco

May 27, 2009 01:27 PM ET

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CIO - BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. yesterday issued a security fix to address yet another flaw in its BlackBerry Enterprise Server's (BES) BlackBerry Attachment Service, which processes message attachments for viewing on BlackBerry devices.

Problems with the BlackBerry Attachment Service are somewhat common at this point, and RIM has fixed multiple issues related to the BES PDF distiller component in the past months.

The problem: Flaws in the BES PDF distiller could allow attackers to distribute messages with malicious PDF files attached that, if opened via BlackBerry, could lead to device memory corruption and in turn, harmful code could be executed on corporate computers hosting the BES Blackberry Attachment Service.

This particular flaw is found in BES version 4.1 Service Pack 3 (4.1.3) through 5.0 and BlackBerry Professional Software 4.1 Service Pack 4 (4.1.4). The vulnerability is a critical one with a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) rating of 9.3 out of 10, according to RIM.

If you or your organization employs affected BES software click here to download an interim fix. If you use affected BlackBerry Professional Software you'll want to go here.

Visit RIM's website for more specifics on the vulnerability, as well as a handful of potential workarounds to disable PDF viewing on enterprise BlackBerrys.

Read, "BES 5.0: Five Features CIOs Need to Know About," for details on RIM's latest BES release.

Reprinted with permission from

This story is reprinted from CIO.com, an online resource for information executives.
Story Copyright CXO Media Inc., 2009. All rights reserved.

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BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion issued a security fix to address yet another flaw in its BlackBerry Enterprise Server's (BES) BlackBerry Attachment Service.

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