14 February 2009

The Fate of the Free World and a Blackberry


I am sure that there are good reasons for President Obama to want to keep his Blackberry handy, like keeping in contact with his kids for example or texting Hillary Clinton that the bombing of Iran is an option or similar things. The mere fact that the President is going to continue to use it is tantamount to being a red rag to a bull. Every hacker worth their salt is going to be trying to crack the "big one". Fox News is referring to it as the Holy Grail.

The free world can rest assured that the device must have the best encryption available to human kind loaded onto it. Nevertheless, that is always the challenge that hackers face. So, why should hackers not go after the Presidential Blackberry?

I am sure if you crack the thing and then get found out you will be in for a world of hurt. Nevertheless, your reputation and legend will pretty much proceed you wherever you go. Kevin Mitnick, once acclaimed as the world's greatest hacker, did five years in prison for his hacking activities, but nevertheless seems to think it possible and that a sophisticated hacker is in with a shot at getting in.

According to Mitnick, the weakness might not be the President but rather the circle of people that he communicates with. They presumably will not be as encrypted as the President and therefore seeming more vulnerable to attack.

So, the innocuous SMS of "Dad, where is this secret service dude that is supposed to be picking me up from school" from one of his kids might be just the entry point a hacker needs.

The reality is that now that it has been publicly declared that the President is going to continue to use his Blackberry that there are armies of hackers and code breakers sitting in underground caves in China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, among other locales, all tasked with a solitary mission, hack into the Presidential Blackberry.

I wonder what the threat is like. Is it conceivable that the fate of the free world can be compromised by the use of a Blackberry?

The mind boggles.

5 comments:

tere616.blogspot.com said...

Wow, he is going to continue using his BB ? It's great

And as you said before, the BB people life will be like hell, to maintain their statement and reputation that BB can't be hack.

Can't wait the news of Obama's BB :-)

Rob Baiton said...

Tere...

I am sure a Blackberry can be hacked. The challenge will undoubtedly be the super-encryption that will be on the Presidential Blackberry.

Good advertising for Blackberry though and free to boot!

Anonymous said...

Strangely, the blackberry phenomenon sounds like a myth here. Nobody owns one (well, perhaps one or two) and nobody sells one. Most Danes never heard of the word blackberry and if they do, they'll think about "berries" :D

Rob Baiton said...

Writer...

The Blackberry craze here is huge...just about all my staff have one, including the receptionist (I guess she is buying it on tick)...

I am feeling a little left out by not having one.

Although I did have some fun the other day trying to buy a strawberry, blueberry, and a raspberry from the phone shop :D

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