Skip the navigation
)

Canadian lawsuit raises messaging privacy issue

Messages sent on corporate BlackBerry devices are at issue

January 14, 2005 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - Private messages exchanged using corporate BlackBerry wireless devices may not be quite so private after all.
In a lawsuit filed in Toronto this week, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) submitted scores of BlackBerry e-mails and messages as evidence that several former executives took confidential information from the company and tried to recruit others while they were still employees at the bank.
The lawsuit was filed against Genuity Capital Markets, a Toronto-based investment management firm started by six former employees of CIBC.
The messages submitted as evidence include so-called PIN messages sent between users with the BlackBerry's personal identification numbers instead of e-mail addresses.
This form of BlackBerry communication is generally considered more private than using e-mail addresses because PIN messages are sent directly from one BlackBerry device to another. Standard BlackBerry e-mails, on the other hand, are routed via a BlackBerry Enterprise Server and can be logged and archived like any other e-mail messages.
BlackBerry devices are manufactured by Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion Ltd., which claims more than 2 million subscribers at thousands of companies worldwide.
"PIN messaging is common in financial circles and workgroups," said an executive at a Toronto-based technology vendor who asked not to be identified. "It's kind of like an SMS or instant message" that can't be monitored or logged by the Blackberry Enterprise Server itself, the executive said. As a result, many use the feature to exchange private and sensitive information with one another.
The fact that CIBC logged such messages is bound to come as a surprise to many users, said Thomas Smith, a director of the International BlackBerry User Group in Mountain View, Calif.
"I wasn't aware that PIN messages could be logged, but I'm not completely shocked either," said Smith, who administers more than 500 BlackBerry devices at the Houston-based company he works for. He asked that the company not be named.
Users of such devices "without question" believe that PIN messages can't be logged, Smith said.
That's a mistake, said Rob Moffat, president of Wallace Wireless, a vendor of software for BlackBerry devices in Amherst, N.Y. "There is some misunderstanding about the ability to archive such messages," he said. "The perception is that people can send PIN messages and there's no traceability."
The reality is that such messages can indeed be logged, said Moffat, whose company sells software that, among other things, allows companies to log BlackBerry PIN communications. The function has been available as a rarely used part of a broader business continuity software suite for sometime now. But it's increasingly being used by financial services companies and government organizations to log BlackBerry communications, he said.
"There's specific Nasdaq, NASD and Sarbanes-Oxley stuff that these companies need to comply with," Moffat said.
The news should come as no surprise to security professionals, said Pete Lindstrom, an analyst at Malvern, Pa.-based Spire Security LLC. "Most people think of peer-to-peer communications as being a person-to-person thing. But somewhere in between there's almost always a server intercepting this stuff and logging it."

Read more about Privacy in Computerworld's Privacy Topic Center.



What is Tech Briefcase?
TechBriefcase is a new, free service where IT Professionals can Search, Store and Share IT white papers and content like this. Learn more
Bookmark content
Speed up your research efforts with content across the web.
Search and Store
Find the white papers you need. Create folders for any topic.
View Anywhere
Open your briefcase on your iPhone, tablet or desktop. Share with colleagues.
Don't have an account yet?
Additional Resources
Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Privacy White Papers
Practice Management: Double Billing Rate and Improve Patient Services
Would you like to double your billing rate and achieve faster payment for services?

Download this customer success story to see how One Health...
Mission Critical Data Explosion and Customer Case Study
Would you like to double your tier 1 storage capacity while simultaneously reducing your storage footprint?

Download this customer success story to see how...
Protecting Against Database Attacks and Insider Threats: Top 5 Scenarios
Read this new eBook to learn the top five scenarios and essential best practices for preventing database attacks and insider threats.
Database Activity Monitoring Is Evolving
Read the analyst report and learn how you can leverage the core capabilities of a DAP solution for better database security.
Establishing a Strategy for Database Security is No Longer Optional
The options for securing increasingly valuable databases are very broad and deep, and can be confusing. This research provides an overview of three...
All Privacy White Papers
Privacy Webcasts
Close a Dangerous Vulnerability: Automated Methods for Managing Admin Rights
In this exclusive webcast from Viewfinity, you'll hear how to leverage Group Policy Object settings to close this vulnerability by elevating privileges for...
Data Protection and Disaster Recovery with iSCSI and VMware
Get this on demand webcast now
Distributed Database Security with Real-time Monitoring
View this demo and learn how IBM InfoSphere Guardium database activity monitoring can help protect your sensitive data in distributed DBMS environments with...
InfoSphere Warehouse Packs Demo
These flash modules make warehousing more tangible and relevant to business users through detailed explanations of the InfoSphere Warehouse Packs.
Delivery Management -- Extending Lifecycle Management
Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 1:00 PM EDT

Siloed organizations continue doing the wrong things and doing things wrong, leading to increased costs,...
All Privacy Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs